A HEARTBROKEN mum has released a powerful video message to anyone thinking of carrying a weapon after her son’s murder in south Essex.

Lauretta Ugwa is speaking out after her son, Michael Ugwa, 29, was fatally stabbed in Lakeside Shopping Centre on April 28, 2022.

Two men have been jailed over the incident, and Lauretta is now urging young people to think twice before carrying a knife to prevent others from suffering similar heartbreak.

She said: “Everybody in my family, in one way or the other, has been affected. Normally when I’m working, I don’t pick up calls. But then Michael called me, and he asked can you make soup? I am going to come with my partner.

“And he goes: ‘You are the best mum ever!’ That was the last thing he said to me. When I got home, the police were there and that was when they said to me that my son was dead.”

Muhammad Khan, of Ilford, east London, and his accomplice Brandon Lutchmunsing, previously of Grafton Road, Dagenham, confronted Michael and his friends at Lakeside.

As the situation escalated, Khan lunged at Michael with a knife and stabbed him under his arm, through his ribs and punctured his heart.

Khan was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum or 27 years. Lutchmunsing was convicted of manslaughter and affray and sentenced to 13 years.

Lauretta added: “When you carry a knife, the tendency to use it is there.

You can decide to justify your carrying a knife by saying: ‘Oh, I want to use it to defend myself. No.’ My son’s children will live without a father for the rest of their lives. Michael’s murder has affected everyone. Everyone has lost. This is killing families. This is devastating families. Young children are left without their fathers. This needs to stop. We are still feeling this pain. This is what knife crime does.”

Essex Police have praised Lauretta for sharing her story to highlight the “devastating” impact of knife crime.

Det Chief Insp Ian Hughes said: “The bravery of Lauretta to come forward and tell her story, to be so open about the devastating impact of knife crime, is humbling. Her words, as a loving mum, say more than I ever could so my plea to people in Essex – and indeed around the country – today is to watch her video.”