Clips released of new anti knife crime virtual reality film aimed to help children understand dangers of carrying a blade

A new hope amid the tragic youth knife crime epidemic has been created by Birmingham company Cornerstone VR which aims to give children the most realistic experience possible of how blades can wreck lives.

The Express & Star has been given two clips from the the knife crime films which will be shown to children in the Black Country. 

Reporter Adam Smith was also given an exclusive viewing of the VR which culminated in him being stabbed to death.

Cornerstone VR enlisted child psychologists, scriptwriters, teenage actors, police officers and former social and youth service workers to ensure their latest VR video mirrors the real consequences of knife crime.

The storyline follows a group of youngsters during a night out and was even filmed in real police cells to capture the stark reality of being banged up after using a knife with fatal consequences.

And how a row on social media can quickly escalate into deadly face to face violence, there are scenes of a mugging, a party, and the fatal stabbing. Locations in the Black Country and Birmingham were used in the film.

The virtual reality user can follow the destinies of the victim, the stabber or the friend who will face decades behind bars for just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And children have never been in such danger concerning knives, in the 12 months to March 2024, there were 262 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales.

Of these, 57 were young people under 25, and 17 were under 16. The number of offences involving a blade in the same period was around 50,500, with those between 10 and 17-years-old being offenders in 17.3 per cent of cases.

Teenagers' frontal lobes of their brains are yet to fully form so there can be a lack of empathy displayed by young people, as well as decisions made without considering consequences, which is where virtual reality can help and educate.

The sheer lack of empathy displayed by child killers in recent murder trials reflects this.

A child in the dock for murder used to be a once in a generation event, now the names of this generation's 12 and 13-year-old killers are forgotten because there are so many, and instead of once every ten years, it can be once every ten weeks across the UK.

The knife crime film is not the first time Cornerstone has used VR to change behaviour. Their first VR film was Unborn Child which gave viewers a glimpse into a pregnant's mother's womb as she was attacked by her partner.

Nursers who dealt with pregnant women were shown video and over the next year they reported more cases of domestic violence. Before they would just ask expectant mothers the question, and tick a box if they said no, but after watching the video, they pushed further. The scheme won an award for the best use of technology in the entire NHS.

However, the knife crime and serious youth violence films could be the most important yet for the company, which is part of the Antser Group.

Cornerstone VR head of operations and practice, Serena Hadi, a former social worker, believes children can follow professionals like teachers, social workers, nurses and police officers who have benefited from being emersed in a virtual reality world.

She said: "These knife crime virtual reality films could really make a difference. These two clips show the start of a mugging and the party scene where a fatal stabbing occurs.

"When shown to professionals our VR videos empowered them to be more trauma responsive, empathetic, and aided them in understanding the impact trauma has had on children’s lives through to adolescence.

"Social workers, nurses, police officers, lawyers, teachers and many other people including parents and carers having used the Unborn Child and Carnaby Street in training, have reported these to be impactful."

She added: "Our new knife crime films have been created alongside experts dedicated to improving the lives of young people and children. Teenagers are disproportionally affected by knife crime more than any other age group. Research shows virtual reality videos and scenarios have a bigger impact on changing people's behaviours and values than other kinds of information and training."

The company is already working with education organisations, councils and youth services to introduce children to their new VR world.

She added: "We aim to change the narrative around knife crime and raise awareness of why children and young people may feel compelled to pick up a knife in today's society."

"We want every child in the country to have access to this."