Ronan's Law ninja sword ban welcomed by family

A family that campaigned for ninja swords to be banned after a teenage boy was murdered have welcomed knife crime measures expected to be in force in the summer.

Ronan Kanda, 16, was killed yards away from his Wolverhampton home in 2022 by teenagers who bought a set of swords and a machete on the internet and had collected them from the post office that day.

Legislation named after him, Ronan's Law, is being introduced to parliament on Thursday and will see the weapons banned from 1 August, subject to parliamentary approval.

Pooja Kanda, Ronan's mother, said it was an important day, adding: "We believe ninja swords have no place in our society other than to seriously harm and kill."

"Since losing our beautiful boy Ronan, we have relentlessly campaigned for a ban on ninja swords - the lethal weapon which took his life," she said.

"Each step towards tackling knife crime is a step towards getting justice for our boy Ronan."

The ninja sword ban is part of Ronan's Law, which is set up to tackle the online sale of knives.

It is part of the wider Crime and Policing Bill that is currently going through parliament.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Ronan Kanda was just 16 when he was ruthlessly killed by two boys only a year older than him. Today we are introducing the final part of Ronan's law in his memory - banning the ninja swords that his killers should never have been able to use."

Patrick Green, from the Ben Kinsella Trust, said measures under Ronan's Law were critical to breaking the supply chain.

He said the weapons were simply instruments of war that had "absolutely no place in our society or on our streets".

The majority of ninja swords have a blade between 14 inches and 24 inches, with a straight cutting edge and pointed end.

From 1 August, ninja swords will be banned, and anyone found with one in private could face six months in jail, later increasing to two years. Carrying any weapon in public already carries a penalty of imprisonment up to four years.

it will also be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the weapon

Measures also include increasing the jail sentence for selling weapons to children, or illegal blades such as zombie knives, to two years.

Ronan's Law will require online retailers to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives to the police.

The government is also set to consult on introducing a licensing scheme for retailers who want to sell knives in the spring.

A surrender scheme will run throughout July to allow members of the public to hand weapons in.

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