Fundraiser started for critical bleed kits and training in Luton after fatal stabbings

A community organisation has started fundraising for training courses and vital bleed kits for stab victims after a 16-year-old was stabbed to death at the weekend.

The teenager, named by family and friends as Ashraf Habimana, was pronounced dead after he was taken to hospital on Friday (September 29). Three teens have been arrested following the attack, which left two further victims injured.

Just two weeks earlier there was another fatal stabbing in the town when Omar Khan, 38, from Leicester Road in Luton, was killed near Sundon Park's Tesco Express on September 16.

Now, Si Philbert has begun collecting donations for free training in the town and essential kits that can help stop serious bleeding.

Si is the CEO of Wingman Mentors, a non-for-profit organisation that works with vulnerable young people who are on the cusp of getting involved with criminal exploitation, knife crime, and serious violence.

He said: “Our bleed kit training and fundraiser for the bleed kits is to educate the community and provide them with the skills to potentially save a life in the event of a critical bleed. We will be fundraising throughout our local community and businesses to get public access bleed kit installed across Luton and wider into Bedfordshire whilst educating members of the public where they can find them.”

Si’s GoFundMe page is asking for £5,000 to pay for the bleed kits and training costs. The training by Meditech Global will take place in October 2024 at Fidel Gastro’s in Bramingham.

Si added: “We're working towards installing critical bleed kits in strategic locations around the community. These kits contain essential medical supplies designed to control severe bleeding effectively. To make this initiative a reality, we are seeking assistance in securing funding.”

In the last two weeks there have been four separate knife attacks in Luton. The news of this latest fatal stabbings came just three hours after reports that two teenagers were stabbed in Sundon Park Road. One suffered life-threatening injuries, while a second had serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Another person was injured during an attack in the Chapel Street underpass on Monday, September 25. Ben Barry from Luton helped give livesaving first aid to the victim of that attack.

Ben said: "There was a man asking for help. He said: ‘I think I have been stabbed.’ I pulled his top up and his intestines were coming out. I thought we were going to lose him.”

Ben dialled 999 and an emergency call handler talked him through the steps to help the victim while an ambulance arrived.

He explained: "I think first aid training is essential. This wasn't something I ever expected to witness or was prepared for. The guidance I received over the phone from the emergency services was brilliant. The more people equipped to help in these situations the better.”

Next July, a sculpture made up of 100,000 knives will come to Luton as part of a month of anti-knife crime action by Wingman Mentors in partnership with Luton Youth Partnership. People can donate to the fundraiser here.