Grieving families disgusted as killer knife sellers given £350,000 from taxpayer in amnesty

Bereaved families have blasted a £350,000 compensation payment being made to knife sellers whose weapons were used to kill their loved ones.

At least seven fatal attacks have been linked to the firms which are in line for the cash as part of a government amnesty programme in the run up to this month’s ban on zombie knives. Brothers Adam and Eddy Eliaz’s companies provided swords, machetes and knives used in a string of attacks, including the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy.

Gordon Gault was slashed to death with a 16 inch machete bought online by a 17-year-old thug using his dad’s ID. Gordon’s mum, Dionne Barrett, 37, of Newcastle, described the amnesty payment as “beyond belief”.

“I am so shocked,” said Dionne, mum of Jack,19, and Jessica,20, when the Mirror broke the news to her on Thursday. “They should be handing those knives back without making any money. They have already profited from murder. This scheme should be for individuals to hand in knives, not firms who make hundreds of thousands. This comes after one of his killers was freed early. I am still struggling to pay for Gordon’s headstone. This firm should have received no money whatsoever.”

READ MORE: Teenage drug dealer murdered a dad with one of 79 knives he bought online

Ronan Kanda, 16, was murdered with a sword, one of 26 weapons bought from another of the brother’s companies by Prabjeet Veadhesa, 16, using his mother’s name. The killing in Wolverhampton, West Mids, was a case of mistaken identity. Ronan’s sister Nikita, 24, told the Mirror: “The surrender scheme can be effective in encouraging people who carry knives to turn in their weapons. However, it’s unfair and perverse for sellers to receive money after already profiting significantly from selling these harmful weapons. Especially the seller that is responsible for supplying over 25 weapons to my brother’s 16-year-old murderer, including the ninja sword that pierced my brother’s heart.”

Eddy Eliaz, 44, is the managing director and major shareholder of Sporting Wholesale which imports knives in bulk and sells them to retailers. The company, which has surrendered 35,000 blades as part of the Home Office amnesty, owns the Anglo Arms brand, which admitted in 2021 that it had gained a “reputation with gangs”.

Superintendent Alex House, who leads on knife crime for Bedfordshire Police, said the knives and machetes being handed in were designed for violence. He said: “There’s no other practical use for them. If you look at the design... the purpose is to kill and maim.”

Sporting Wholesale made a profit of more than £5 million in 2019 and 2020, company accounts reveal.

A new definition of banned zombie knives will take effect in England and Wales on 24 September. From then it will be illegal to own a knife longer than eight inches, if it also has any of the following; a serrated cutting edge, more than one hole in the blade, spikes or more than two sharp points on the blade.

This amnesty scheme is being run at police stations across England and Wales between 26 August and 23 September, without repercussions for those surrendering knives. Owners can submit a compensation claim for £10 a blade when giving them up.

Another victim of Anglo Arms weapons was footballer Cody Fisher, 23, stabbed to death on a Birmingham dancefloor in 2022 Friends Joshua Clark, 21, and Haidar Shah, 19, stabbed to death while on a night out in Halifax last October by a killer wielding an Anglo Arms knife. One of the firm’s hunting blades, described as “fearsome” in court, was used to stab Mark Swinhoe to death in a drug deal gone wrong in Loughborough in 2018.

Adam Eliaz, 31, a former Young Apprentice contestant, is the director and major shareholder in online shop DNA Leisure, which has surrendered 1,542 knives as part of the scheme. The Mirror revealed in May how the firm sold weapons to under 18s used in the murder of dad-of-two Omar Khan, 38, and Ronan, 16. Firms are only supposed to sell such weapons, with chilling names including Predator, Stopper and Rambo, to over 18s.

DNA Leisure’s website continued to offer hunting knives, machetes and swords for sale on Thursday for as little as £7.29. Eddy Eliaz said in June: “We feel that decreased police on the streets, decreased stop and search, decreased youth funding and a lack of help to address the ever-increasing mental health issues in our society are primary reasons for the increase in knife crime. However, most knife crime is domestic, or drug/gang related. From the 244 recorded incidents in England and Wales for the year ending 2023 over 85% involved knives and instruments that we do not sell. It is already illegal in the UK to carry a knife or weapon in public, so the law is in place. It just needs to be upheld. I believe that the government should do more to address the core issues I have mentioned. “

Adam Eliaz said in May: “We comply with all current UK legislation relating to the sales of bladed articles, including the laws relating to remote sales and age verification. The people in question committed fraud. We used an age-verified courier service to deliver the parcel. They did not fulfill their obligation. We did not break the law in any way.”

A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment.

Seven lives lost to firm's blades

Gordon Gault, 14, was slashed to death with a 16 inch machete bought online from Anglo Arms by a 17-year-old thug using his dad’s ID. Gordon died days after being injured in November 2022, following the fatal attack in Newcastle. Lawson Natty, 18, was sentenced to two years eight months for manslaughter in March, alongside Carlos Neto, also 18. Natty’s release this week was brought forward under government rules to deal with overcrowding. He had served 15 months including time on remand.

Cody Fisher, 23, stabbed to death on a Birmingham dancefloor on Boxing Day 2022. Remy Gordon, 23, and Kami Carpenter, 22, were found guilty of murdering Cody in the Crane club. Two days earlier Carpenter sent a picture of himself to a Snapchat group holding a large Anglo Arms machete. It was not the weapon used to kill Cody but that blade, which was much smaller, was made by the same company. It was left embedded in Cody’s body.

Friends Joshua Clark, 21, and Haidar Shah, 19, were murdered on a night out in Halifax last October. Rashane Douglas, 19, was jailed for a minimum of 28 years for killing the pair with an eight inch “bullet” lock knife produced by Anglo Arms.

Mark Swinhoe, 38, from Long Eaton, Derbyshire, was stabbed to death with an Anglo Arms blade in Loughborough, on 14 January. He suffered 28 stab wounds including one 12 inches deep in his back. Harry Matthews, then 22, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years after a trial at Leicester Crown Court. Jamie Wileman, 24, was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 12 years.

Omar Khan, 38, died at the scene of the attack in Luton after being stabbed with a blade nearly a foot long. Rayis Nibeel was sentenced to 20 years’ jail for the September 2023 stabbing of Mr Khan, 38, in Luton, Beds. Nibeel set up an account in his mother’s name but used his own bank account to buy most of the weapons, worth £1,200, from DNA Leisure. His haul included 39 hunting knives, 15 machetes and 12 swords, which he sold on and have not been recovered.

Ronan Kanda, 16, was murdered with a sword bought from DNA Leisure close to his home in Wolverhampton after he visited a friend’s house to buy a PlayStation controller in June 2022. A trial heard his attackers, one of whom had just collected knives bought online, mistook him for his friend. Prabjeet Veadhesa will serve a minimum term of 18 years and Sukhman Shergill a minimum of 16, the court heard.

• Information about how to surrender a weapon and claim compensation can be found on GOV.UK