The ITV soap saw dramatic scenes with character Mason Radcliffe attacked by his brothers
The mum of a teenage boy whose son was stabbed in a Greater Manchester park has praised Coronation Street for highlighting knife crime.
The youngster was just 15 when he was attacked by two young boys who tried to steal his mobile phone. One of them was just 11.
She was among the millions of viewers who tuned in to Monday night’s episode of the soap, which saw Mason Radcliffe die after being stabbed by his brothers in a horrifying attack.
“It was a brilliant storyline, and touched a lot of people,” said the 47-year-old, whose son’s case hasn’t yet gone to court. “The attention to detail was very realistic.”
The mum-of-three, who did not want to be identified, believes that education about knife crime needs to begin early and would like the episode to be shown to youngsters to make them ‘think twice’ about carrying a knife.
“I strongly believe that this episode should be shown in all high schools and even the last year of primary schools across Greater Manchester,” she said.
“These were young children that stabbed my son, one was only 11 at the time. Education into knife crime needs to start earlier, this is not just a older teen problem.
“A well known programme like Coronation Street highlighting this is only a good thing, it encourages families to have the conversation with their children about the dangers of knives and hopefully some teens will have seen this episode and the devastation it causes and think twice about carrying that knife.”
Her son suffered knife wounds that needed hospital treatment, but she is all too aware how badly things could have ended.
Last night’s episode (January 6) culminated in the shocking scenes of Mason sitting on the playground bleeding heavily from a stab wound, inflicted by his brothers.
Abi Webster was first at the scene to find Mason bleeding and did her best to stop the flow of blood before the ambulance showed up, which was delayed due to a hoax call.
Betsy Swain arrived, and she and Abi assured a scared Mason that he would be alright. However, the attempts to save his life ultimately failed and it was confirmed that Mason had died as a result of his injuries.
