 Mr Taylor spoke of the grief brought by violent crime |
The father of Damilola Taylor has made an impassioned plea to teenagers not to carry knives. Addressing pupils at a north-west London school, Richard Taylor spoke of "the sorrow violent crime can bring into the life of the family".
Damilola, 10, died after being cut with a broken bottle in Peckham, south London, in 2000.
Danny and Rickie Preddie, aged 18 and 19, of Peckham, are serving eight-year sentences for his manslaughter.
Sudden shock
Mr Taylor told the assembly of 14 to 15-year-olds at Alperton Community School in Wembley "life is what you make out of it".
"This is an appeal from my heart to you all," he said.
"Please do not carry dangerous weapons in whatever form they may be and if you find a friend doing so, report that friend to the authorities or give advice."
He was speaking at the launch of the community safety Growing Safer, Growing Stronger project aimed at youngsters in Brent, north-west London.
"As a father, I am here to talk to you all about the sorrow violent crime can bring into the life of the family, the community and the country in general.
"For my wife Gloria and I, and other families that have been made to suffer this sudden shock and changes brought about by the action of a mindless set of thugs, our life can never be the same again till the end."
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