Tragic outcome of people carrying a knife is highlighted on anniversary of 32-year-old victim’s death

Becky Dustan, middle, recording the podcast in Plymouth with Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, and Ben Woolvin, Head of Communications and Public Affairs

It is almost three years to the date when 32-year-old Michael Riddiough-Allen was fatally stabbed outside a nightclub in Bodmin. Since then, his family have dedicated their lives to educating people about knife crime in honour of his memory. 

They set up charity Mike’s Trust in 2024 after discovering there was no specific support in the South West for families who had lost a loved one after being attacked with a knife. Mike’s sister Becky Dustan has bravely spoken out about the impact his death has had on their family in the lead up to his anniversary to help Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez raise awareness about the detrimental dangers of carrying a knife. 

Speaking on the latest podcast episode of Your VIP: Your Voice in Policing - from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – Becky recalled how Mike’s “harrowing” death on April 30, 2023, was caused by one stab wound to the abdomen causing him to bleed out “within minutes”. 

She said: “We had a choice following Mike's death and I think that's a position that a lot of people find themselves in. You can kind of sink into the grief and the depression and the anger you feel about the unfairness of everything, or you can try and do something positive and try and move forwards and make change. We chose the second option.” 

Initially, the aim of setting up Mike’s Trust was to support other people affected by knife crime. However, its focus has become knife crime prevention which includes giving talks in schools and colleges and to youth groups to help young people understand what knife crime is, why it occurs and the consequences not just to themselves but to the people they love and society as a whole. 

Becky said: “The best way to prevent things from happening is through education and discussion. It's about giving information to young people so that they don't make those choices in the first place.” 

She added: “Mike’s death is harrowing for us but it has hope because we can show others that even in the worst pain there is still a bit of light and there's still a bit of positivity. And we do that through carrying on the work with the trust.” 

Becky said it had been an “incredible honour” to recently be invited to speak at the opening ceremony of a huge sculpture called the Knife Angel in Plymouth. It stands 27ft (8m) tall and is made from 100,000 surrendered and seized knives. It was installed between the Civic Centre and Guildhall throughout March and the visit was funded by the OPCC as part of efforts to prevent knife-related crime. 

During the month, Becky also helped with engagement programs in the city, which included the trust giving talks to young people, and took part in the Your VIP podcast which was recorded on location by the Knife Angel sculpture. 

She said: “As a victim of knife crime, it was a little triggering for me. It does hurt to look at it because I think about the amount of pain that is included in that statue. But what we've got to remember is not all those knives in that statue have been used to harm people.” 

Giving a stark warning about carrying a knife, Becky said: “We shouldn't be under this impression that everyone is carrying a knife and therefore we must do so to keep ourselves safe, because that's simply not true. One of the myths that I so regularly hear from young people is, ‘well, how am I supposed to keep myself safe when someone else is carrying a weapon?’.  

“We need to dispel these myths and we need to empower young people - and all people - to be able to make the right choices and also to report when they know someone is carrying a weapon and to be able to do the right thing to talk to people they trust so that we can reduce the amount of weapons on the street, and make it an open conversation.” 

Becky’s future hope for Mike’s Trust is to employ people to reach out to more schools, colleges and communities. Commissioner Hernandez praised Becky and the trust for the great work it is carrying out and believes early prevention and education is key to tackling knife crime. 

She said: “The biggest difference we can make is parents having conversations with their children.  There is a fantastic programme online called Let's Talk that was established in South Devon. 

“My office is helping fund it to try and get it across the whole of Devon and Cornwall. It's a free online resource for parents and they will help parents have difficult conversations with their children, whether it's about drugs, pornography, knife crime or how they can be safe online.” 

According to the most recent Devon & Cornwall Police data, in the 12 months to January 2026, there were 3,007 incidents of recorded knife related crime. It is similar to the number of offences recorded in the previous year where 2,995 offences were recorded. The police estimate that one in 2,000 people in Devon and Cornwall carry a knife.  

Commissioner Hernandez said: “One of the reasons why we have lower crime levels is because we're very resilient. We don't tolerate it in our communities and we do call it out often. But I think the complacency element that we've had is a factor. 

“The wider harms of knife crime can never be underestimated, with incidents often linked to domestic abuse, alcohol related incidents, criminal exploitation and mental health or self-harm crises. It is imperative that we help educate people around these risks and provide the support they need before things escalate.” 

The third anniversary of Mike’s death will be marked by Becky and family members meeting on the date and time at the location where he was fatally wounded and celebrating his life with a Rattler cider and a pasty. Also being held in his memory at a later date is annual free family event Mike’s Motor Mania will be held again on Sunday, July 26, at Spitfire Park in Perranporth from 11am to 3.30pm.  

Your VIP – Your Voice in Policing is produced by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to give residents the opportunity to share their views directly with Commissioner Alison Hernandez and her office. 

Visit https://www.buzzsprout.com/2597778/episodes/19044699  to listen to this episode and subscribe to the podcast on your preferred service. You can also watch the episode on YouTube here https://youtu.be/haTwoUwtX5w 

 If you know anyone who is carrying a knife, please take action in one of the following ways: