INSIDE THE LONDON YOUTH COURTS TRYING TO BLUNT KNIFE CRIME

Teenage knife crime dominates London News – but what is being done to intervene before tragedy strikes? Courts correspondent Tristan Kirk looks at how the capitals youth courts try to stop first-time offenders caught with blades from spiralling into murderers.

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In the corner of a stuffy courtroom in Stratford, east London, a distraught mother breaks down in tears as she tries to explain the behaviour of her teenage son a "really good kid" who has never been in trouble before. Moments earlier, the 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to having a 25cm-long Rambo knife stuffed down his trousers when stopped by police as he walked his girlfriend home one evening.

"I feel like I've failed," his father despondently tells the court, after explaining the efforts he'd put into teaching his son about right and wrong.

It's a scene heavy with sadness that is familiar to those working in youth justice: a rueful teenager, broken-hearted and exhausted parents, apologies and tears, punishment - but with the chance of redemption.

This teenager was caught with the knife in April this year as he walked through the streets of Newham, one of London's worst boroughs for knife crime. The boy was standing just a few streets from Newham Hospital where stabbing victims are regularly treated. He spent a night in custody after his arrest, and three weeks later he made his first appearance at Stratford Youth Court to face the charge of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

When adults appear in the magistrates courts, cases are dealt with swiftly and appropriate punishment is reached. Sometimes the motives behind crimes emerge, but often they remain a mystery. In the youth courts, there is a greater emphasis on understanding why a teenager especially one with no previous convictions has ended up in trouble.

The teen with the Rambo knife has a particularly traumatic backstory, one which at least starts to explain the decision he made. His younger sister had fallen victim to an apparently random attack which left her older brother "traumatised" and believing he needed to carry a knife for protection.