Some of the knife crime victims whose deaths have led to Ronan's Law after long campaign

The newspaper first called for laws restricting the sale of so-called 'zombie knives' at the start of 2016, in response to online adverts for knives up to 2ft long, under names such as Head Splitter, Death Dagger and The Skinner.

The Express & Star joined forces with the then West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson and Ian Austin, the former MP for Dudley North, in calling for a ban on the weapons.

A ban was introduced by then home secretary Theresa May in July 2016, carrying a four-year jail term for the manufacture, sale, rental or import of zombie knives. The Express & Star's lobbying won the 'Campaign of the Year' award at the Midland Media Awards, and Mr Jamieson publicly thanked the Express & Star for its efforts.

"None of this would have been possible without the hard work of the Express & Star, which has shown the power of the local press," he said.

But within two years, it emerged that unscrupulous retailers had found loopholes to circumvent the legislation. The laws defined 'zombie knives' as having a cutting edge and images or words suggesting they could be used for violence. But the sellers found that the laws did not apply if the offending words or imagery were removed from the advertisements.

As the Express & Star stepped up its calls for tougher laws on knife crime, the number of offences – particularly those involving children and young people – has rocketed.

The newspaper has highlighted the cases of 19 young people killed in knife attacks since May, 2022. They include 16-year-old Joseph Riches, who was stabbed in Stourbridge, before dying in Rowley Regis on July 15, 2023. Terrell Marshall-Williams, also 16, was found with stab injuries in Warnford Walk, Merry Hill, Wolverhampton, on September 18 2023, after being attacked by Mpho Obi, 23, of Strathfield Walk, Merry Hill, and Omari Lauder, 24, of Wolverhampton Street, Darlaston.

But it was the case of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, murdered by two 17-year-olds as he left the home of a friend, that truly brought the enormity of the situation to the national consciousness.

The court heard that one of the attackers, Prabjeet Veadhesa, was owed money by Ronan's friend. When Veadhesa, and his accomplice Sukhman Shergill, saw Ronan leave the house wearing headphones, they wrongly assumed he was the boy who owed the money.

He was just yards away from his family home, but was attacked from behind as he listened to music on headphones.