In a forceful speech, a young man who survived a stabbing incident in Melbourne’s southeast has denounced “wannabe gangsters” who commit knife crimes.
Last year, Ethan Tirant, 20, was stabbed in the chest by a 13-year-old while he was outside a KFC restaurant in Pakenham with pals.
He is also working on a Crime Stoppers campaign with several young reps and several high school pupils.
Tirant recalled telling her family and friends via text that she loved them while she was in the ambulance.
“I genuinely thought I was dying, and I really was.” He went into a coma and needed life-saving surgery.
The 13-year-old boy who is suspected of attacking Ethan was charged with several counts.
But when it became apparent that the youngster was not old enough to know that what he had done was gravely wrong, the charges were dropped.
Tirant expressed his desire to make the horrific event a teaching tool for young people.
He has sent out the following message to young people who use knives: “You are not a gangster or tough.”
He remarked, “So many things have affected my life just because one kid was stupid for ten seconds.”
“It’s the worst feeling ever when your lung collapses, and I had to learn how to walk again.”
Stella Smith, chief executive of Crime Stoppers, stated that the campaign was driven by strong and influential young voices.
“They wish to spare their parents from heartbreak. If they were to become victims, they could imagine the pain in their own parents,” she remarked.
“The children reported that their voices had been heard when they returned.”
