"I said, is it bad? And they said, its the worst" - brave and harrowing testimony from bereaved mum of Harry Baker who was murdered in Cardiff
Emma Baker along with Swansea stabbing victim Dai McBride back South Wales Police #NotTheOne knife crime campaign
Last updated 2nd Mar 2022
"You question everything as a mum. What could I have done differently?"
South Wales Police and the Violence Prevention Unit are launching a new knife crime campaign today.
It's to educate young people on the consequences of carrying a knife and its being backed by the bereaved mum of 17 year-old Harry Baker who was murdered in Barry in 2019.
His Mum Emma describes how things began to fatally spiral for Harry as he got involved in drug dealing:
"Harry - he was really a really good boy. He was just a normal little boy playing and having fun with his brother. He'd love to tell me about his day in school and come home and show me what he'd made. Yeah, he was very enthusiastic and chatty.
"Things started to change at about 15, I think. He became more and more distant. He lost his place in school. We then found out the guy who he was working for was getting him to drop off weed to different people for him.
"And then it just spiralled. Completely spiralled. He stopped going to work. He'd stay overnight, sometimes a couple of days. Wouldn't answer calls or anything. It just got worse and worse. He got quite angry with us all the time. Really angry. At this point now he's 17. I couldn't take it no more. I couldn't take it. It was obvious he was involved in drugs. There was no question about that. Did I know what kinds of drugs? No, I didn't. I knew, obviously, he was involved in weed because of situations that had arisen beforehand and he'd confessed to me. But not the crack and heroin.
"Things got really bad, really bad. With the advice of the police, we did go away for a couple of days.
You can watch Emma's testimony here: (Be warned - highly emotive)
"Just don't go home, its not safe. You can't go home"
"Harry rang me then.
He said, 'Just don't go home. It's not safe. You can't go home.' I was like, 'This is bigger than all of us, Harry, we need the police's help.’ And he said, 'I've got to go, but just know I love you and stay safe.' The last words I ever said to Harry was, 'Don't let no-one set you up.'
"Sometimes it don't seem real. I'll close my eyes and if I happen to dose off I'll wake up and I'm screaming for Harry or I'm sweating and shaking. I have terrible night terrors.
"And you question, you question everything as a mum. What could I have done differently?"
Dai was in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction when he was called to a flat in Swansea to lend someone money. It was a set-up.
As he left the building, four people were waiting for him outside the lift on the ground floor. They were looking for drugs.
For 14 minutes, they choked him, beat him, and stabbed him. His testimony is here (Harrowing content)
The partnership-led campaign aims to educate 11-16 year olds on the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife, targeting teachers, parents, friends and family with an educational pack of information.
Superintendent Esyr Jones said:
“This campaign has been built with and for young people, and seeks to empower communities to act against knife crime. It provides individuals who have an influence in young people’s lives with information, guidance and referral options if they believe that a child they care for is at risk of being drawn into knife crime."