A heartbroken mother whose ''bubbly'' son was stabbed to death is now raising money for bleed kits in a bid to save young lives. Janine Campbell, 33, was left devastated when her young son was killed outside the gym where he was training to be a boxer.
He had left home just minutes before the attack, with Janine, a learning mentor, describing the phone call she then received as ''every mother's worst nightmare''. Teon Campbell, 16, was declared dead at the scene after being fatally stabbed in broad daylight on April 13, 2022.
His attacker, a 16-year-old boy, was known to him but cannot be named for legal reasons. Keen to make sure other mothers ''don't go through the same pain'', Janine is now raising money for stab kits, which she hopes will be distributed within her community.
The kits, which cost £85 each, will provide medical equipment designed to treat knife wounds ''quickly and effectively''. Included in the bleed kit are a trauma dressing, disposable gloves, scissors to remove clothing, an emergency foil blanket, a CPR face mask, a tourniquet and a marker pen to note the time a tourniquet is applied.
On January 25, 2023, the unnamed teen appeared at the Old Bailey, London, and was convicted of manslaughter. He was cleared of murder. A second teenager, also 16, was found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter.
Janine, from Lewisham, south east London, said: "I am beyond heartbroken. Words can't describe the amazing person my Teon was.
"He was the most beautiful person, an amazing big brother and extremely protective over me as I'm a single mum. When I got that phone call saying he'd been hurt, I couldn't believe it at first.
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"But when I got to the scene 20 minutes later to see medics around him, my heart dropped. When they said there was nothing they could do, I just lay down next to Teon and begged him to wake up.
"Nothing could've prepared me for the pain of losing my son and that's why I want these kits to be distributed. If it can help save one life and a family's from this heartbreak, it'll be worth it."
Before he was killed, Teon, a pupil at Bromley College, had ''always dreamed'' of becoming a professional boxer. On the day of the attack, he'd arrived at his gym, Double Jab Boxing Club, Lewisham, at around 4pm.
He was quickly approached by the two teenage boys and an altercation began, which resulted in fatal injuries to Teon's abdomen. Police were called by passers-by with reports of a fight in progress.
Teon was found at the scene with stab injuries and, despite the efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene. A later post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a stab injury to the abdomen.
Janine, who is also mum to Teon's 14-year-old brother, said: "Teon had texted me only 20 minutes before the attack telling me he was heading to the gym. So, when I received that phone call, I couldn't believe it.
"It is every mother's worst nightmare to hear that your child is in danger. I rushed to the scene and saw Teon's lifeless body with paramedics around him.
"Medics were trying to tell me things, but I couldn't focus, all I was thinking was 'come on Teon, wake up'. After 10 minutes they pronounced him dead and it was like the ground beneath me shattered.
"All I could do is lay down next to him and hold his hand. I kept pleading for him to wake up because it all felt so surreal.
"Even now, I can't believe that he's gone. He was my first baby and an amazing big brother."
Teon's attacker was found three days later on April 16.
Janine said: "Since he's passed, the main thing people have said is what a respectful young man he was and it's true. He was pure and kind, it breaks my heart that my boy is gone.
"He'll never live the amazing boxing career he wanted or fall in love and have a family. This is why I'm distributing the bleed kits, because if I can do anything to stop one family from feeling this loss, it'll be worth it.
"They need to be in all schools, all boxing clubs and local places where it is quite busy. It was a busy park where Teon was stabbed, you see a lot of children and a lot of the time this is where crimes are happening.
"Bleed kits are not cheap, so we need a lot of funds behind that to buy them. I'm going to be setting up a fundraising page where people can donate for the kits and distribution.
"Even before we lost Teon, knife crime in London alone has skyrocketed and sadly lots of other parents like me have experienced the same. I've started talking to people in my local community, including Patrick Harris, the owner of Double Jab as well as Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London.
"The kits will provide immediate relief after someone has suffered a stab injury, the first few minutes are critical as someone can bleed out within two minutes. It's all about keeping injury to a minimum until the emergency services get there.
"The bleed kits are there as a buffer until paramedics are able to get into the scene. We're still working out which public spaces need the most to start off with, but I hope they'll be in all busy areas such as parks, pubs and youth centres.
"It takes everyone as a community to come together and share and care and concern - this could be your brother, uncle, dad or anyone. Maybe if there was a bleed kit outside Teon’s boxing gym, he might be with us here today.”
