A mother has recounted the horrifying moment she was told her son had been stabbed to death.
Emma Baker has spoken for the first time about the murder of her son Harry, who was ambushed and stabbed to death by a murderous gang on August 28, 2019.
Harry was murdered at Barry Docks by a gang after a clash between rival drug dealers. He was stabbed nine times to the face, head, neck, stomach and legs.
Seven people were sentenced in March 2021 to a total of 119 years for the brutal and ferocious killing.
Read more: Knife crime in Cardiff: The scourge of the city as told by those who have lost everything
Mrs Baker is now working with South Wales Police as part of their latest Violence Prevention Unit collaborative campaign #NotTheOne which aims to educate young people on the consequences of carrying a knife.
The campaign is aimed at 11 to 16-year-olds in south Wales as police say evidence suggests that early intervention and prevention is important to prevent people from carrying a knife in the first place.
Harry Baker was born on November 27, 2001, and lived in Rumney, Cardiff. His immediate family included his father Peter, his mother Emma, and brother Alfie. He was known to friends as "Mitch".
As part of the campaign, Mrs Baker recounted how Harry, who was 17-years-old at the time of his murder, got involved in delivering cannabis as a teenager.
As he got further involved in drug crime, and things started to spiral out of control, his family were dragged in.
"Things got really bad, really bad," said Mrs Baker, recounting a time before Harry's death.
"Harry was a really good boy, just a normal little boy playing and having fun with his brother. He was very enthusiastic and chatty. Things started to change about 15, he became more and more distant. He lost his place in school.
"And then it just spiralled, completely spiralled. He stopped going to work, would stay out overnight, sometimes for a couple of days, he wouldn’t answer calls or anything.
"And it just got worse and worse and he got quite angry all the time, really angry.
"I couldn’t take it anymore. It was obvious he was involved in drugs, there was no question about that. Did I know what type of drugs? No I didn’t .
"I knew obviously he was involved in weed because of situations that had arisen and he had confessed to me, but not the crack and heroin."
"With the advice of the police, we did go away for a couple of days.
"Harry rang me then. He said, ‘just don’t go home. It’s not safe. You can’t go home.’
"The last words I ever said to Harry was, ‘don’t let no-one set you up.’"
On August 28, 2019, Harry was ambushed at Barry Intermodal Terminal after being chased for more than a mile by his killers.
Mrs Baker remembers in painstaking detail the moment she was told about her son's murder.
"I knew instantly when the door knocked at quarter to nine at night. I opened the door, two plain-clothed police officers," she said.
"I said, please tell me it was from the back and he didn’t see it coming.
"And she [police officer] just shook her head and said no, it wasn’t.
"And I just remember saying, is his face okay? I just kept saying, is his face okay? I don’t want to see anything if his face is not okay.
"I don’t know why the face. It was just I couldn’t. She said we can make sure you don’t see anything."
Mrs Baker, who is part of the campaign alongside two victims of knife crime, hopes the campaign will educate young people about the long-lasting impact of carrying weapons.
"I don’t sleep. I’m being treated for PTSD. I suffer really bad anxiety," Mrs Baker said.
"The images…I wish I could have a switch on my head and turn the images off.
"It destroys you. You don’t even - sometimes it don’t seem real.
"I’ll close my eyes and If I do doze off I‘ll wake up and I’m screaming for Harry or I’m shouting and sweating and shaking. I’m terrible. Terrible night terrors."
Mrs Baker has decided to talk about the impact knife crime has had on her family in the hopes of raising awareness and educating young people about the dangers of carrying weapons.
"You question everything, as a mum, what could I have done differently? Did he suffer? Could someone have saved him? The thought of him alone. It’s just barbaric.
"I just wouldn't wish this on anyone. I really wouldn't. And don't think it don't happen because it does. It does happen. Look what happened to Harry.
"We found out after losing Harry, he was carrying a knife that night. [It] Didn’t keep him safe. Didn’t protect him.
"This grass culture and letting people down and your friends saying, ‘I’ve got your back, you know, we’re brothers’ or ‘I got you.’
"They didn’t. They looked after themselves."
Mrs Baker decided to speak about her family's experience of losing Harry in order to raise awareness of the devastation that can be caused by the use of blades.
The campaign is focused on educating teenagers, particularly ages 11 to 16, with early intervention at the forefront of the campaign.
South Wales Police said from conversations with young people in areas where knife-related offences have occurred the most often, feedback showed that those with concerns about knife crime would most likely report this to a teacher, parent, or trusted member of the community.
Officers said that the partnership-led campaign aims to educate 11 to 16-year-old males on the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife, targeting teachers, parents, friends and family with an educational pack of information.
Superintendent Esyr Jones of South Wales Police 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.
“Whether you are a parent, teacher, youth worker, sports coach or a young person yourself, this pack provides you with educational information to make a difference and potentially save lives.”
South Wales Police said knife crime remains relatively rare in south Wales. Research suggests most young people who carry a knife are motivated by fear and the mistaken belief that they need to carry a knife to be safe. Many young people also believe there are more knives on the streets than there actually are.
South Wales Police said in reality, carrying a knife is rare, and those who do are much more likely to be a victim of knife crime themselves. When knives are involved, situations can quickly get out of control.
Their campaign slogan focuses on this: " Only one in 100 young people carry a knife. Don’t be the one."
More details on the #NotTheOne campaign can be found here.
Mrs Baker's account is the first of several people who have decided to be a part of the campaign in the hopes of educating young people on the dangers of carrying weapons. These will be featured on WalesOnline in upcoming days.
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