Zombie knives still for sale online despite ban, BBC finds
· BBC NewsDan Johnson & Sophie Woodcock
BBC News
Zombie knives and machetes are still available to buy online, some for under £20, more than a month after they were banned in England and Wales.
BBC News was able to purchase four knives from online retailers with UK websites, two of which were shipped from overseas.
After being presented with our findings, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said the law might need to be toughened further in future.
The Home Office said it was carrying out a "rapid review" into the sale of knives online.
In September, "zombie-style knives" and "zombie-style machetes" were banned in England and Wales, making it an imprisonable offence to own, make, transport or sell a wide range of “statement” knives favoured by criminal gangs.
However, our investigation suggests they are still making their way onto Britain's streets because some retailers are breaching - knowingly or unwittingly - the latest restrictions on advertising and selling them.
We placed orders via the UK websites of four online retailers. It took just a few clicks to confirm the orders - in one case just two - in a standard online transaction. One retailer cancelled our order but three accepted, and couriers delivered the knives days later without the need for a signature.
Hunting&Knives sold us two serrated machetes, both 18 inches (45cm) long - one costing £19.99, the other £30.83.
HuntingCrossbows sold us a "Defender Xtreme Hunting Combat knife" with a 10-inch blade and a serrated edge, priced at £34.99. It appears the knife was shipped from the USA despite no indication it was being imported.
Meanwhile, NineFit sold us a "Fantasy Master Skull Crusher" sword for £60, listed as having a 20-inch (50cm) blade, which again appeared to have been sent from overseas.
Zombie-style knives are officially defined as a blade over eight inches (20.32cm) in length with a sharp point and a plain cutting edge, plus either a serrated edge, more than one hole in the blade, spikes, or more than two sharp points.
Four out of the five experts we spoke to agreed the weapons we purchased appeared to meet the legal definition of a banned knife.
"They all look like offensive weapons under the Act," said Anthony Orchard KC, a criminal barrister who’s prosecuted many stabbings and knife offences.
"Over the last eight to 10 years, these knives have become more and more common in the sort of murder cases that unfortunately we are prosecuting across the country."
One expert questioned whether the two machetes we bought met the definition of having a "sharp pointed end" - a definition that hasn’t been considered yet in court.
Commander Stephen Clayman, the NPCC's lead for knife crime, says the recent ban was a step forward - but more action is needed. He is conducting a review into the availability of knives online, especially on social media.
"This ban will have an impact, how much of an impact is difficult to say but we do know some of the large UK retailers will no longer be selling these knives and that’s got to be a good thing," he told the BBC.
"Is it enough? Time will tell. Will we have to change the law again, quite possibly."
NineFit UK/Handelnine Global Limited didn’t reply to our request for comment, but the other two companies we purchased the knives from did.
Hunting&Knives said it had been reviewing and removing "articles that did not comply with the new law", adding: "It is not our intention to make prohibited articles available to the end customer."
HuntingCrossbows replied to our query about the legality of the weapon it sold us and other knives for sale on its website by saying "these are cosplay or display knives for decoration use only".
"These knives and manchettes (sic) can not damage any person unless modified," it added, a claim Mr Orchard said was “astonishing”.
There were more than 50,000 incidents of knife crime recorded in 2023-2024, an increase of 4% on the previous year, according to the latest ONS figures.
The government has made reducing knife crime a priority with a target of halving offences by 2034.
Border Force is responsible for scanning international mail suspected of containing drugs, firearms, knives, and counterfeit items or goods with unpaid customs fees - but not every package is checked.
The Home Office said: "When we receive information like this, it is very important Border Force can investigate potential illegal activity."
It said it had "launched a rapid review into the online sale of knives" and warned social media executives they would be held liable for advertising knives on their platforms. A consultation on banning "ninja swords" was also announced this week.
Dr Olumide Wole-Madariola, whose son Malcolm was stabbed to death aged 17 in November 2018 when he tried to stop an attack on a stranger, says more still needs to be done.
"It was a zombie knife, a serrated zombie knife," Mr Olumide said of the attack on his son outside Clapham South underground station in South London. "A very cheap knife as well, it cost £19.99. That was the cost of the life of my son."
He has campaigned to ban zombie knives - and agreed to look at pictures of the knives we purchased. "It scares me when I see this," he said. "It scares me because lives are being lost daily.
"The government needs to do more. Each time a knife is used on someone, lives are shattered forever, homes are destroyed forever, futures are destroyed forever."