Tributes left to mark ten years since the death of Joshua Ribera

He was stabbed to death outside a nightclub in 2013

Alison with her son Joshua
Author: Ella StirlingPublished 21st Sep 2023

It's been ten years since the death of 18-year-old Joshua Ribera, who was stabbed to death outside a nightclub in 2013.

The teen rapper, known as Depzman, was killed while attending a fundraising event for murdered friend Kyle Sheehan outside TC’s nightclub in Selly Oak.

To mark the anniversary, his mum Alison Cope has been leaving tributes at every site linked to his murder, to help keep his memory alive.

She said: "I wanted people just to see him and his face. It's another way of keeping his name alive and seeing how tragic it was that he was killed."

Alison has been campaigning tirelessly against knife crime over the last decade, but she says things have got worse.

"As times go by, my frustration has grown, but my determination has also grown. I haven't stopped backing down from tackling this horrendous subject.

"I'm trying really hard to get those in power to implement what they know they should be doing.

"There's many people who have made better choices because of my work. I just have to remind myself that I might not be able to save the world, but I can certainly change families world and individuals world's and that will keep me going."

Joshua's killer, 18-year-old Armani Mitchell was found guilty of murder and given a minimum term of 18 years in prison in March 2014.

You can find out more information about Alison's campaigning at https://www.alisoncope.com/

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