LIVES NOT KNIVES!

15 September 2006
On a Friday afternoon, Tom Easton was working at the EC1 Music Project on Old Street in Islington. Tom was a 22-year-old sound recording engineer employed part time by Islington Council to give disadvantaged young people access to professional music studio facilities so that they could develop their creative talents.
That day, the studios were closed for a two-week break, so Tom was using them to work on one of his projects. This involved recording music performed by four young adults, three of whom Tom knew and the fourth was a friend of theirs. During the late afternoon, whilst Tom was relaxing with the female singer, their friend turned on Tom and, without any provocation, stabbed him to death. The three who knew Tom fled, calling the police and ambulance from a mobile phone.
Tom was still alive when the ambulance finally reached him, but despite their best efforts, died at the scene. The attacker was captured by the police the following day.
25 September 2006
Tom was buried, his twenty-third birthday.
15 September 2007
To mark the anniversary of Tom's murder, a vigil was held outside the EC1 Music Project. This was the first time his mother, family and friends were able to express in public what they felt about his death, and about the loss of so many other young people through knives and guns.
21 December 2007
Barrington McKenzie was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He was sentenced to be detained under the Mental Health Act for an unlimited period of time. The following statement was issued by his mother, Dolores Altaras, and his stepfather, Peter Sinclair:

"We are amongst a growing number of families who have lost a warm and affectionate young man, killed by someone with a mental illness in a violent and unprovoked attack. Our loss has been all the more tragic because Tom was working at the time, helping others less advantaged than himself play and record their music.
We are angry that our government can spend billions sending its young men abroad to promote democracy, but cannot protect them at home. This is why we have set up the Flavasum Trust. Like Tom, we know music can reach the most disaffected in our society, so we are using creativity to raise awareness amongst young people of the consequences of carrying weapons.
If we and other families who have set up similar anti-knife and gun campaigns can save just one life, it will have done something to fill the void left by Tom's death, and maybe make the world a safer place."

29 April 2008
NHS London (the London Strategic Health Authority) commissioned an independent investigation into the care and treatment of Barrington McKenzie, following their review of 26 mental health homicides in London committed between January 2002 and December 2006.