Father of murdered Halifax teenager Jamie Brown calls for tougher sentences to combat knife crime

Robert Brown, dad of murdered Jamie Brown, at home in Lee Mount, Halifax

Jamie Brown, 17, was fatally stabbed after a fight broke out outside a party in Ovenden, Halifax on October 27, last year.

His killer, Michael Thompson, also 17, from Huddersfield, was last week jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years.

READ IN FULL: Teen murderer jailed for life for stabbing Halifax's Jamie Brown to death at Halloween party

Robert Brown, 50, says the fact Thompson will be released from prison when he is in his thirties, adds to his grief.

Mr Brown said: "I thought he would have got a longer sentence.

"He was smirking in court throughout the hearing and there was no remorse there.

"He will be out of prison when he is in his thirties and he will get to live the rest of his life.

"He will get to go on and have kids, Jamie won't.

"In my eyes, the law should be changed and life should be mean life."

Leeds Crown Court judge describes Halifax's Jamie Brown murderer as ' a very dan...

Mr Brown also wants to see the Government take further action to tackle knife crime across Yorkshire.

Mr Brown said: "You hear stories about stabbings on the news, but it never enters your mind that it will happen to you or your family.

"There has been such a big spate of it. every time your phone bleeps you hear about another person being stabbed to death.

"There needs to be more stop and searches carried out by the police and people need to be educated on the dangers.

"The way things are going at the moment, I just don't think the problem is going to stop,"

Mr Brown now has a message to anyone who carries a knife in Yorkshire.

"I just want to tell people not to carry them," he said.

"They ruin lives. You might not have the intention but who knows what will happen? You wont just ruin one live, you ruin the lives of all the families. We don't want anyone to go through what we have

"Jamie was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I think he would want to be remembered for helping raise awareness and stopping this from happening to anyone else."

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