A grieving mother’s tears, sobs and cries as she recalls the moment she saw her son dying on the pavement transcends any language.
Shabnum Ashraq said she was in denial as she watched police and paramedics surround her 18-year-old son trying to save his life after he had been stabbed in the back.
She pleaded with them to put his clothes back on believing he was getting cold after being injured in a car accident not comprehending what was actually happening.
But the realisation her cherished son had been stabbed to death just yards from their front door flooded into her reality the following day and continues to affect her family’s everyday lives.
Mrs Ashraq has bravely taken the decision to talk about her son’s murder to try persuade other young people not to be tempted to carry a knife on behalf of the Slough Violence Taskforce. This is despite it still being an extremely emotional time for the family, just a year after the killing.
Speaking through an Urdu interpreter, the 44-year-old said: “The ultimate aim of speaking up is to change things.
“Mohammed was a unique child. He was helpful, not just to me but to his grandmother, his father and siblings, in the kitchen and other area of our everyday lives.
“He was studying for his A Levels and he wanted to go on and study further to become and aeronautical engineer.
“The last time we spoke was in the kitchen I was with him and his siblings and he had just won a boxing bout. He had a medal and we were congratulating him about it.
“The doorbell rang and he went out. I had an uneasy feeling about it, an instinct, and I began to pray and recite verses form the Qur'an.”
Moments later there was a knock at their family’s front door telling them Mohammed was hurt. His sister was the first on the scene as emergency services tried to save her brother.
He was taken to hospital after being stabbed with a large hunting-style knife on January 4 last year but died a short time later.
Mohammed Hussain, of Benjamin Lane, Slough, was convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years after a trial at Reading Crown Court last summer. He was 18 years old at the time.
A second teenager was acquitted of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter after a two trials which concluded in November last year.
Mrs Ashraq and her family had to move away from the home they shared with Mohammed shortly after the traumatic events in Benjamin Lane. They were unable to live with the horror which unfolded nearby and with the perpetrators family also living very close.
Serious health problems have compounded losing Mohammed and Mrs Ashraq said her life, his father's, grandmother's and siblings would never be the same.
Mrs Ashraq said: “Knives such as the one used on Mohammed should not be allowed to be brought into the country.
“We are aggrieved the second boy was not convicted and we still don’t understand why.
“But we feel justice has been done with the person who stabbed Mohammed.
“These young people must look at the sentence this person got and realise this is what could happen – the end of a good person’s life and their own.”
Mrs Ashraq’s painful story is being highlighted by the Slough Violence Taskforce, which was established in October 2019 to coordinate partners including the local authority, police, health services, schools, and the voluntary sector. This ensures a focused, evidence based response to serious violence within the borough.
The taskforce works to identify gaps in services and to support and develop interventions that tackle the root causes of violence. It works with partners to build upon resources which already exist, enabling long term sustainability of solutions. Working with partners supports engagement with communities to understand social and environmental problems. The taskforce then supports the design of interventions to support those communities.
For further information, support, and help if there are concerns about a child or young person in Slough in relation to knife crime, violence or exploitation, please contact Slough Children's Services Trust on 01753 875362, Monday to Friday, between 9am-5pm. For emergencies outside these hours call the Emergency Duty Team on 01344 351999. There is also more information on referrals on the Slough Children's Services Trust website.
Help is also available from the Family Information Service on 01753 476589 and via the website by visiting www.sloughfamilyservices.org.uk/.
If you are a child or young person, whatever your worry, non-judgemental help is available from Childline on 0800 1111. Calls are free and won't show on a phone bill. Help is also available through online chat or via email. Visit Childline for more information.
If in immediate danger please call the police on 999.