AN AMATEUR boxer is planning to launch an anti-knife crime campaign in memory of his much missed brother who was stabbed to death.

Danny Maddocks, from Llay, experienced first hand, the pain and trauma of losing a loved one to knife crime after brother Craig, 34, was murdered in a frenzied attack at the Cambrian Vaults pub in June 2013.

The experience of that horrific event has made Danny, 35, want to change the lives of young people and make them think twice about using or carrying a knife by turning their attentions to the ‘sweet science’ of boxing instead.

Danny said: “I don’t want to see anyone else’s family go what we went through.

“Knife crime doesn’t just involve and affect the person who’s been stabbed.

“It’s the families who have to deal with the aftermath of something so catastrophic.

“What happened nearly tore my family apart, but we all found a way back together and I want to stop other families having to go through the same thing.

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Craig, who was brought up in and around Llay Amateur Boxing Club, was a five times Welsh champion, fought at the Commonwealth Games and even boxed future world champion Ricky Hatton.

Danny, who has a six-year-old son Alfie, says he would like to educate children away from a life of gangs and knife crime into the discipline of boxing and hopes to take his campaign to schools around Wrexham and beyond.

He added: “I used to go to the gym with Craig every other day.

“Not only was he a brother, he was a mate and a boxing mate, but now all that’s gone.

“So I want to involve Llay Boxing Gym as Craig was pretty much brought up there and boxing basically runs in the family.”

Danny has had the help from several experts so far, including Mark Prince OBE, a former professional boxer who once fought for a world title and who set up the Kiyan Prince Foundation in the wake of his 16-year-old son being stabbed and killed outside his school more than 10 years ago.

Kiyan had been an exciting young footballer on the books of Queen’s Park Rangers, with aspirations of making it to the very top, but that all ended the day fellow 16-year-old Hannad Hasan stabbed him with one fatal blow to his heart.

Danny said: “At first I read Mark’s book and got in touch with him via Instagram to say how much I’d enjoyed it and it went from there.

“One thing led to another and he’s ask me to go down there at the end of February to see how he does things, which I think is just brilliant.

“I’m hoping to learn as much as possible because there’s nothing like this going in Wrexham. There’s no knife crime support available.

“I don’t want to see my young lad grow up in a world where people think it’s okay to carry knives around with them, because it’s not.”

The Maddocks family including Danny, his parents and sister were invited to the Ironworks in Oswestry several months ago as The Knife Angel, a 27-foot-high sculpture made of more than 100,000 knives was being created and Danny had the honour of welding one of the knives to part of the wings.

The Knife Angel was created by artist Alfie Bradley as a national monument against violence and aggression and was installed at Liverpool Cathedral throughout December and January.

Danny added: “We went last week to see it in Liverpool and it’s an incredible thing to have been a part of and sends out such a powerful message about the dangers and risks posed by knife crime.”

With the campaign still very much in its infancy, Danny would like to take on as much help and guidance as possible and anyone wishing to do so can contact him via e-mail: ddmddm48@yahoo.co.uk

  • The Maddocks family will appear on Current Affairs programme Ein Byd, which will be broadcast on S4C, 9.30pm on Thursday, February 7. Subtitles available