Sexy Beast legend Ray Winstone says he is “terrified” of letting his daughters and grandchildren go out because of knife crime “for fear they ain’t coming back.”
In an exclusive interview, movie hardman Ray, 67, says: “The reality is that I’m terrified of letting my girls and grandson out.
“I’m talking about a normal, rural area - for fear they ain’t coming back.”
Ray, whose daughters Lois, 42, Jamie, 39, and Ellie Rae, 23, are all actors, also has an eight-year-old grandson, Raymond.
But he fears for their safety, because of mindless violence on our streets and says no one is successfully tackling the knife crime epidemic.
"It’s growing all the time,” he says. “Every time I turn on the telly, someone is affected by it, some family is affected by it.
Image:
Getty Images)“Governments don’t talk about it enough, and when they do, they don’t do nothing about it.
“This is affecting our youth, our kids growing up, all walks of life.
“And nothing is done, as if it doesn’t really matter.
“It’s just another statistic that goes on the back page, that’s how we look at it.
“We can scream and shout and stamp our feet about it as much as we like, but until someone does something, it’s irrelevant."
Ray became patron of The Rob Knox Foundation after filming a documentary on the 18-year-old actor’s murder.
He has also backed calls for compulsory knife crime lessons in schools, following an initiative launched by Rob’s dad Colin Knox and Martin Cosser, whose 17-year-old son Charlie Cosser was fatally stabbed at a party in Warnham, West Sussex, in July 2023. His family started the charity Charlie’s Promise to tackle knife crime and help raise awareness of its dangers, following his death.
But Ray is scathing about what he sees as politicians’ inaction regarding knife crime, despite Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announcing Labour’s mission to halve it within the next decade at the party conference last month.
New legislation banning the manufacture, sale, possession and import of zombie knives also came into force across England and Wales on September 24.
Ray says: "It seems to be when you talk to a politician, they agree with you until they go away and when it’s irrelevant to a vote. They don’t do anything about it.
“I have no patience and respect for any politician anymore because they don’t represent me, and they don’t represent you."
And despite his reputation for playing gangsters, he does not see any need for knife crime to be shown in TV or film dramas.
“There is enough of it in reality,” he says.
English (US) ·