The murder of 23 year-old footballer Cody Fisher - stabbed to death on the dance floor at the Crane nightclub in Digbeth on Boxing Day - prompted horror and outrage across the country.
The young man, from Redditch, had a promising career ahead of him after playing for Stratford Town FC, Stourbridge FC and Bromsgrove Sporting and had been signed to Pro Vision Sports management.
In a heart-wrenching statement from his family released by police they said:"They have broken our hearts; I have lost my best friend.”
Schoolchildren from St Gregory’s School in Stratford-upon-Avon formed a guard of honour in memory of him on Saturday at the Stratford Town Game and held a minute’s silence. It was the first match at the club since his death.
Meanwhile thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Cody’s Law - to make metal detectors and bleed kits law for clubs and events. More than 20,000 had signed this morning (Tuesday, January 10) with many leaving heartfelt messages as to why this this law is so important.
One person said: “A metal detector at the entrance of a club should be mandatory to identify a weapon so avoiding another senseless murder.” Another signee said: “I’m a ex doorman and I have said for many many years and strongly believe metal detector, defibrillator and bleed kits should be everywhere and not just clubs,yes it may have saved Cody’s life but unfortunately now we will never know.”
And a woman who signed previously said: “Cody had his whole life ahead of him. A kind, talented young man who had his life taken away by a knife! At a place where he should have been safe to have fun.”
BirminghamWorld has remembered 13 people who were stabbed throughout 2022 with Ministry of Justice figures for West Midlands Police showing young people were involved in 3,060 knife crime cases which resulted in cautions or convictions between July 2010 and June 2021, but the true scale of crimes involving children is likely to be higher.
Two men suspected of murdering Cody appeared at Birmingham’s Crown Court last Wednesday. Kami Carpenter, 21, of no fixed address, and Remy Gordon, 22, of Cofton Park Drive, were remanded in custody.
The Crane nightclub has had its licence suspended for 28 days.
To sign the petition for Cod’s Law go here: Cody’s Law make metal detectors and bleed kits law for clubs and events
5. Richard Hopley, 43
Richard died after being stabbed in a car which crashed on Metchely Lane, near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on September 22. Three men aged 27, 40 and 63 were arrested on suspicion of murder. A woman, aged 24, and man, aged 38, were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. | West Midlands Police
6. Andrew Gardner, 41
Andrew, aged 41, died in hospital after being stabbed in Alexandra Road, in Handsworth in Septmeber. Andrew’s family paid tribute to their ‘caring, loving son, father, brother and uncle’. Lesean Williams, 19 , from Alexandra Road has been charged with his murder | West Midlands Police
7. Haji Rab Nawaz, 52
Haji Rab Nawaz, from Handsworth, was stabbed to death outside a mosque in Coventry. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing outside the Jamiah Masjid & Institute in October | West Midlands Police
8. Jamie Benbow, 29
Roofer Jamie was fatally knifed on Washington Drive, in Handsworth Wood on 21 October. Two men, aged 20 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of murder and a 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. | West Midlands Police