Nottinghamshire surgeon reveals horror of young stabbing victim who was operated on 36 times

A Nottinghamshire surgeon who is head of East Midlands Major Trauma Centre has shared the grim reality of knife crime, after a young stabbing victim was operated on 36 times.
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Major trauma surgeon Adam Brooks based at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham has urged people not to carry knives after he recalled the experience one victim had of going through nearly 40 operations for their wounds.

In the video which has been released as part of Nottinghamshire Police’s Operation Spectre campaign against knife crime, the head surgeon explained the damage knives can do.

He said: "People die from knife wounds on a daily basis across the whole country despite all the excellence that major trauma centres like ours provide.

Adam Brooks is head of the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre based at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.Adam Brooks is head of the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre based at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Adam Brooks is head of the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre based at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

“Knives can kill people.

"We see that and we work very hard to get people to live through the trauma of knife violence and the physical and psychological impacts associated with it.

“There’s no such thing as a safe place to stab someone.

"Somebody might think it’s just a flesh wound but if you are stabbed in the wrong part of your body, and that’s one of a dozen different places, you’ve got a very good chance of dying.”

The county’s police force joins other constabularies across the country tomorrow (April 26) as a week of activities targeted towards tacking knife crime starts.

Officers in Nottinghamshire will conduct community weapons sweeps, patrols in knife crime hot-spot areas and specialist teams will be deployed to schools to educate children about the dangers of carrying a knife.

Mr Brooks added: “The most important advice I can give is please don’t carry or use a knife.

"The worst experience in my career is talking to families and telling them that their child or their brother has not survived.

"That’s something I never want to do again.”

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show knife crime has continued to fall in Nottinghamshire – outstripping the average national and regional data.

Nottinghamshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Gerard Milano said: “While knife crime has continued to fall in Nottinghamshire we will never be complacent and we’re still working relentlessly all year round to drive down violent crime even further and keep people safe.

“Any incident is one too many.

“As part of Operation Sceptre we will not only be targeting offenders and bringing them to justice but we will also be continuing our ongoing educational work with young people, raising awareness of the dangers and consequences of knife crime and encouraging them to live positive knife-free lives.

“We all need to work together to combat knife crime and we’re urging anyone who has any information about people going out with a weapon to come forward.”

The video interview with Mr Brooks was filmed as part of the Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU) HashtagNG campaign which aims to educate young people across the county about reducing serious violence.

The major trauma surgeon’s full interview will feature in a documentary later this year commissioned by the VRU, due for release this summer about serious violence in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

For more knife crime advice, click here.

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