London doctor reveals 'brutal reality' of treating child victims of knife and gun crime in the capital

"Sewing these children back up for their families to say goodbye is one of the hardest jobs any of my colleagues have to do”
Murder capital: Forensics on the scene of a fatal shooting in Tottenham
PA
Fiona Simpson1 August 2018
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A hospital doctor has told of the “catastrophic” reality of treating London’s teenage victims of knife and gun crime after a spate of violent killings in the capital.

Dr Dominic Pimenta, whose wife is a trauma surgeon, branded the recent violence in the capital “appalling” and “terrifying” in a series of startlingly honest tweets.

Twenty-one people under the age of 25 have died from gun and knife crime this year.

Dr Pimenta described in graphic detail the “brutal” and often unsuccessful surgery required by victims.

He said: “Chests are split like clams, abdomens incised within minutes, even whole arteries clamped shut. Anything to stop the bleeding, to save a young life.

“Often it isn’t enough. Sewing these children back up for their families to say goodbye is one of the hardest jobs any of my colleagues have to do.”

Shot dead in Tottenham: Tanesha Melbourne
PA

The powerful words came following the death of 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne who was fatally shot after being caught in the crossfire of a drive-by attack in Tottenham on Monday.

Forensic investigators on Chalgrove Road in Tottenham, where a teenage girl was murdered
REUTERS

Amam Shakoor, 16, was shot in the face in Walthamstow just minutes later. He died in hospital on Tuesday.

A police officer stands guard by floral tributes left at the scene of a fatal shooting in Tottenham
PA

“The latest victims, 16 and 17, were also children. They were mown down less than a mile from my own front door.

“As a doctor I find the worsening violence appalling, as a Tottenham resident deeply disturbing, and as a father terrifying. But misinformation and prejudiced debate won't help any of these victims,” Dr Pimenta added.

Victim: Amaan Shakoor, 16, was shot dead in Walthamstow

Last night Isreal Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to death as he cycled to meet friends in Homerton.

Devoy Burton-Stapleton, 20, was fatally stabbed while walking home in Wandsworth in the early hours of Sunday.

And on Friday, Reece Tshoma, 23, was fatally stabbed near Plumstead station.

Murder Capital: 18 dead in 22 days

 

March 14: Joseph Williams-Torres, 20, shot in a car in Walthamstow

March 14: Lyndon Davis, 18, stabbed in Chadwell Heath, east London

March 17: Russell Jones, 23, student shot and stabbed in Enfield

March 18: Tyrone Silcott, 42, father-of-two stabbed in Homerton

March 18: Naomi Hersi, 36, found with fatal knife wounds in hotel near Heathrow

March 19: Jermaine Johnson, 41, stabbed to death in Walthamstow

March 19: Balbir Johal, 48, knifed repeatedly by a group of men in Southall

March 20: Beniamin Pieknyi, 20, stabbed in Stratford shopping centre

March 25: Abraham Badru, 26, graduate shot dead as he got out of car in Dalston

March 26: David Potter, 50, stabbed to death at his home in Tooting 

March 27: Man, 59, died from fractured skull after being attacked at home in Barking

March 29: Reece Tshoma, 23, fatally stabbed near Plumstead station

March 30: Leyla Mtumwa, 38, stabbed to death at her home in Tottenham

April 1: Devoy Burton-Stapleton, 20, fatally stabbed while walking home in Wandsworth

April 2: Tanesha Melbourne, 17, shot dead in street in Tottenham

April 3: Amam Shakoor, 16, died in hospital after being shot in the face in Walthamstow.

April 4: Isreal Ogunsola, 18, stabbed to death as he cycled to meet friends in Homerton

April 4: A 53-year-old man suffered a fatal head injury after being “punched” to the floor outside a betting shop in Clapton

Four more youngsters aged in their teens or early 20s have been murdered on London’s streets since March 14.

The NHS worker called on Londoners to rally the government to plough funding into police resources.

He said: “These are children. "They never even got to live their lives." If we really want to help then something has to change.

“If you feel inclined, you can donate to help reduce street violence here.

“I am begging you, as a doctor, a father, a Londoner, educate yourselves and take positive action. On every level, this HAS to stop.”

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