A MOTHER whose son was stabbed to death is calling on shops to clear their shelves of knife blocks depicting a man being skewered.

Theresa Cave was horrified to discover The Voodoo Knife Set on display in the window of The Magpies Kitchen, in Whitby, North Yorkshire.

On further investigation she found other shops in the town were also selling the “sick” product.

Mrs Cave plans to visit the shops today to urge them to take them off their shelves.

Her 17-year-old son, Chris, was stabbed in both legs and his heart in the stairwell of a block of flats in Redcar, east Cleveland, in June 2003.

“It was horrendous when I saw it in the shop window,”

Mrs Cave, 46, said. “I couldn’t believe it. I heard a little boy saying ‘mummy I want a stabbing man’ – it was terrible.

“If a child sees one of these in the kitchen, they are going to think it is normal to stab people. They don’t have the intelligence at that age to understand.

It is really sick.”

Mrs Cave, head of the Mothers Against Violence North- East branch, added: “I am not objecting to the knives – it’s the man. I am sure they can come up with a better design.

“This is a personal fight for me – the knives are exactly how Chris was stabbed. It doesn’t get easier.”

The Voodoo Knife Set retails between £79.99 and £99.99, depending on the model bought.

Duncan Robson, owner of The Magpies Kitchen, said: “The product is not intended to offend. It’s supposed to be a fun item. In the last year we have sold about 100, but a small number of people have complained about them. It’s down to personal opinion.”

He added: “I will discuss with my business partner whether we should take these off the shelves, or not sell them in a position where they are displayed so prominently.”

Raffaele Iannello, designer and creator of the knife block, said: “This was absolutely not designed to incite violence. It is strictly an artistic design made tongue in cheek.

“I do not believe that anyone would view this item and then get an idea to go out and stab someone else. I think someone that commits such a heinous act of violence has deeper issues than that.”