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A mum whose teenage son was murdered with a ninja sword has urged those who own similar weapons to give them up.

Pooja Kanda has welcomed a weapons surrender scheme that she hopes will take deadly blades off the streets. Ronan, 16, was killed in 2022 with a sword that had been purchased online as he walked home in a tragic case of mistaken identity.

A surrender scheme is being launched for the blades in July, ahead of a ban on the weapons from August 1. Anyone caught with the swords after this date could face six months behind bars.

Pooja said: "It has been three years since Ronan’s life was tragically taken as a result of the wounds inflicted by a ninja sword. Since then, we have relentlessly campaigned for ninja swords to be taken off the streets as they have no place in society.

"The government has now introduced a much-needed ban on ninja swords, and we encourage those in possession to surrender them to make the community a safer place where children can walk home without fear."

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Anyone handing in a ninja sword can also claim compensation of £5 - the wholesale price of the weapon - if they return it to a designated police station.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: "The launch of today's scheme is a result of months of collaborative working with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime and I'm optimistic about what we can achieve together over the next month and then the years to come as part of our plan for change.

"This scheme is just one part of addressing knife crime. We will not stop listening to those who are directly working with those impacted by this crime."

From August 1, it will be illegal to possess, manufacture, import or sell the weapons, as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was "far to easy" for teenagers to get hold of deadly blades.

Anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword after the ban could face up to six months in prison. Ronan was stabbed to death with a 20-inch ninja sword that his killer had bought online.

One of Ronan's 16-year-old atackers had purchased the murder weapon online using his mum's ID, and picked it up on the morning of the murder in June 2022

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