The UK government on Wednesday announced stricter rules for online retailers selling knives, along with tougher penalties for failing to enforce them, as part of a new crackdown named in memory of an Indian-origin boy killed in a stabbing attack.

The Ronan’s Law will require retailers to report suspicious and bulk purchases of knives on their platforms to police, with tougher sentences for selling knives to under-18s.

Ronan Kanda, 16, was attacked near his home at Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region of England in July 2022 and died at the scene after being stabbed twice in what emerged as a case of mistaken identity. His mother, Pooja Kanda, has since been campaigning for stringent measures after two teenagers — also of Indian origin — were sentenced to 34 years’ imprisonment for her son’s murder.

“In 2022, I lost my son, Ronan, to knife crime and mistaken identity. In 2023, we sat in the courtroom where we were shown a Ninja sword and over 25 bladed articles. Looking at them, I knew my son didn’t stand a chance,” Pooja said in a statement.

“Retailers, social media and sellers need to take on more responsibilities. We welcome the proposal of a registration scheme, where the government will continue to implement stricter measures on the online sale of bladed articles...

“This part of Ronan’s Law will provide much-needed barriers against knife crime. I wish this was done years ago, and my son would be with me today,” she said.

The campaigner has been raising the issue of online sale of bladed articles being allowed without proper ID checks after Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that her son’s teenage killers illegally bought lethal weapons online and collected them from the Post Office on the day of the attack — with no age or identity verification taking place. It was revealed that one of them had bought more than 20 knives online, including by using his mother’s ID.

“I knew we could not go on like this, and our fight for what was right had begun. Proper ID checks by sellers, as well as postal and delivery services, played a crucial role,” Pooja said. The Home Office said the Ronan’s Law was aimed at closing lethal loopholes in the online sale of knives as a result of “tireless campaigning” by Ronan’s mother Pooja and sister Nikita to restrict young people’s access to weapons online and to protect other families from such tragedies.

Under the new measures, retailers must report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchase of knives on their platforms to the police to prevent illegal resales from happening across social media accounts. The sentence for selling weapons to under-18s will be increased from six months to up to two years of prison, which could apply to an individual who has processed the sale or the CEO of the company.

A new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent of violence will be introduced in the crime and policing bill, which will come with a prison sentence of up to four years. This means that no matter if the weapon in possession is legal or not, if there is intent to cause violence, it is a crime. A consultation will be done to determine if a registration scheme should be in place for online retailers selling knives so that only responsible sellers can sell them.

“We are honouring our commitment to introduce the Ronan’s Law in memory of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed in 2022. I am so grateful to the Kanda family for their endless perseverance in ensuring governments take the right actions to protect young people from further tragedy,” said UK home secretary Yvette Cooper.