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Bring back 'sus' laws to beat gun crime, says Regis
Ben Hinckley, Evening Standard10.10.07
Former Olympic medallist John Regis today called for tougher sentences for teenage thugs who carry guns and knives following the " senseless" murder of his 15-year-old nephew.
He also called for the return of the "sus" laws which allow police to search anyone they think may be carrying a weapon.
Regis, 40, who won two Olympic relay medals, told of the " devastating" effect of the unsolved fatal stabbing of his nephew Adam, himself a promising athlete, in Beckton in March.
Speaking for the first time about Adam's murder, Regis described him as a "gentle giant" about whom nobody had a bad word.
He said: "It just defies logic how this could happen to a kid, wrong place wrong time, it's devastating, absolutely devastating. We're still in the dark. I just truly hope that eventually the perpetrators are found and dealt with accordingly."
The former sprinter said he found it difficult to comprehend what had happened when told of the murder.
"I don't think the kids understand there is a consequence to bear for their actions. I don't think it's drilled in them enough to be told that you shouldn't be carrying knives," he told London Tonight. Adam was found fatally wounded near West Ham United's football ground in Upton Park on 17 March after spending the evening at the cinema.
Regis spoke out following the murder of A-level student Rizwan Darbar who was stabbed to death for his mobile phone by a mugger while walking in a London park.
The attack happened less than a mile f rom where Adam was murdered.
Regis said: "I'm an advocate of bringing back the sus law where the police have the power to go and search supposed suspicious individuals.
"Each week you read a newspaper, you look in the media, some other young family has lost a son or a daughter because of a ridiculous killing. Something has to be done and done drastically."
