THE savage attack that claimed the life of a beloved great-grandmother lasted just a minute, but left a legacy of grief and trauma that will ripple through generations.

Carrying a holdall containing three knives, a samurai sword, hammer and machetes, 19-year-old Ethan Mountain pulled on a ‘horror mask’ before fatally stabbing Joan Hoggett as she stacked shelves in her workplace, the One Stop shop in Fulwell, Sunderland.

The killer knifed Mrs Hoggett more than 20 times in an attack described by her son Robert Young as like “something you see on TV - something that happens to other people, not to you.”

To highlight the wide-ranging consequences of knife crime, Mr Young has opened his heart to describe the devastating impact of an incident he still struggles to believe is real.

In March, Mountain - who has paranoid schizophrenia - was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He is detained at high security hospital Rampton. Mr Young believes Mountain should have been jailed.

The Northern Echo:

Ethan Mountain was detained at Rampton

Since her killing, the pensioner’s loved ones have suffered in the shadow of the teen's violence – Mr Young has been unable to work since and struggles to eat and sleep. He becomes terrified upon witnessing any kind of altercation, believing it could escalate to murder. Other family members are similarly affected.

The Newton Aycliffe man paid tribute to his strong, moral and family-orientated mother as he said the 62-year-old would have had no hesitation in joining him in calling for tougher sentences for those carrying or using knives.

Mrs Hoggett brought up her children – Mr Young and his sister, Michelle – "to know right from wrong" and to understand the importance of accepting responsibility for their actions. This is something, Mr Young says, Mountain has yet to do.

He said: “He didn’t say anything in court – there was nothing on his face and I think he’s played the system, which has failed my Mam and my family.

“He’s now in there, getting all the help that he needs, while I can’t eat, sleep or work and am struggling. I hate him with a passion.”

The Northern Echo:

Mrs Hoggett was a much-loved great-grandmother

When Mr Young was a child, his mother took away his replica ‘Rambo’ knife, telling him that the problem with carrying a knife was that “it can always be taken off you and used against you”. He hopes to pass on his mother's wisdom to those who carry knives.

Urging people to think about the consequences, Mr Young also called for police to conduct more ‘stop and search’ exercises and for extra resources to be plunged into tackling knife crime in the region.

He described figures revealed by the Echo as “no surprise”, adding: “People are getting away with this, when they see the sentences given out, there’s no incentive to stop, they’re not bothered.

“The knife selling ban makes no difference when every kitchen has knives and they’re so easy to buy on the internet.”

In an impassioned plea to anyone considering carrying a knife, Mr Young said: “What happened to my Mam was something you read about in the papers, not something you think can happen to you.

“But those who are carrying knives need to realise it can easily happen to them, or to their family.

“My mam lived her life and it wasn’t a bad one, but this is also happening to young people, like Connor Brown who was just a bairn, just 18 – he hadn’t had chance to live his.

“Something like this doesn’t just take one life - it can take your life too, as well as the lives of your family members and the victim’s family.

“My whole life has gone now and those in my family have had their lives changed forever – we can never get back what we had.”