The type of knife that was used in the shocking killing of Canonbury teenager Stefan Appleton has been banned.

New legislation which came into force yesterday (Thursday) prohibits the sale, manufacture, rental or the importation of blades referred to as “Zombie Killer” knives.

A machete-type Zombie Killer knife, 63cm long and serrated at the top, was used to kill Stefan, 17, just yards away from a playground in Nightingale Park in June last year.

Wearing a hood and balaclava, Blaise Lewinson stabbed Stefan through the heart with the weapon in broad daylight, in front of children and their parents.

During the subsequent trial, the court heard that three Zombie Killer knives were recovered in the area in the weeks after Stefan’s death, revealing the extent to which this type of blade is used by youth gangs. The judge described it as an “utterly ferocious weapon”.

• Keywords
  KNIFE CRIME, LEGISLATION, GANGS (YOUTH)
• Geographical keyword
  NIGHTINGALE PARK
• Persons keyword
  Stefan Appleton