Looking at the evidence presented by the media on the Shayne Hambakachere case in Chippenham, unless there is something we’re not being told I’m of the opinion there has been a serious miscarriage of justice. I spoke to Chippenham MP Sarah Gibson about this terrible outcome…..
Shayne Hambakachere was a 16-year-old aspiring bricklayer and a pupil at Hardenhuish School, who tragically died after being fatally stabbed on 31st of January 2026. Shane had met the attacker in an alleyway near London Road, to settle a dispute over stolen cannabis.
Unarmed at the time, Shane sadly passed away the following day at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. A 16-year-old boy, 15 at the time of the incident, cannot be named for legal reasons. He stood trial at Bristol Crown Court. The court heard that the defendant filmed the confrontation on his mobile phone, capturing footage of Shayne trying to back away when the weapon was produced.
Yet, at the trial on the 20th August, the jury found the defendant not guilty of both murder and manslaughter. The defendant argued that he acted in self-defence, claiming he brandished the knife to scare Shayne away because he feared he was about to be attacked.
I asked Sarah Gibson if she felt an inquiry to the trial should be opened. “Shayne’s death was an appalling tragedy which has had a profound impact on his family, friends and the wider Chippenham community,” Sarah explained. “I appreciate that the outcome of the trial has caused considerable confusion and concern locally.”
“I met with Shayne’s family following his death and have remained in contact with them. When I met with the family, I made a commitment that I would not make public comments about Shayne, or pursue action specifically in his name, without an express request from them to do so. I believe very strongly that any decision about whether they want me to become involved following the conclusion of the trial must come from Shayne’s family.”
“If Shayne’s family ask me to support them, raise questions on their behalf or help them seek further information from the relevant authorities, I will of course do everything appropriate within my role as their Member of Parliament to assist them.”
“For the same reason, I am not currently calling for a public inquiry into Shayne’s case. Any such step would need careful consideration and, above all, I would want to understand and respect the wishes of his family rather than make that call on their behalf.”
This is completely understandable, and my heart goes out to Shayne’s family at this terrible time. I also respect the court decision, if there may have been evidence not disclosed to the public. But, Sarah reflects my wider sentiments about the wider implications, in her last paragraph to me. “That being said,” she continued, “there are wider issues raised by this case which require serious attention. I was particularly concerned by what was said during the trial about the influence of gang culture, county lines and social media content involving knives, guns and drugs on young people.”
“I am actively working with organisations across the constituency on harmful online content and its impact, particularly on boys and young men. We need to understand how children can become exposed to this material, how we intervene before that exposure escalates, and what more schools, families, social media companies, communities and government can do to protect young people.”
Stopping to consider when Nigel Farage used the phrase “pure cold rage” in June, to describe how he thought the public should react to police actions during the Henry Nowak case, who was similarly stabbed in Southampton, the lines I cannot help reading between, when considering why Reform are not irresponsibly encouraging the same public outcry with this case.
Face the basic fact, Shayne was tragically killed… over a bag of plants. Only vengeful people supporting a clear and irrelevant racial narrative want a reaction of “cold hard rage,” to any murder case, but careful consideration of its reasoning should be welcomed, for the purpose of preventing other similar incidents.
Plants which could be controlled if decriminalised. Plants which rarely cause any significant damage, and the only damage they might, is surely caused by their legal status, and consequently their connection to harder drugs and other related crime, through the black market they’ve been assigned into. The war on drugs debate is nonsensical and irrelevant now, as it never worked. You can point the finger at “harmful online content,” or “gang culture” when the facts are this happened in an alley, not online, and this appears to be two individuals, not gangs.
Of course, the family of Shayne’s wishes should be respected, but the case’s wider implications must surely be considered, and acted upon. It may be radical, but I believe it is long overdue to review our laws on recreational cannabis use. For if it was decriminalised, the prices could be fairer, without any need to steal it, and this alleyway confrontation, this senseless murder, would not have happened. Many crimes would not have happened.
Legalise it, tax it, and spend the profits on drug misuse education, but to continue to fight against it, by tightening the laws of its prohibition clearly isn’t working, as this terrible incident proves. I thank Sarah for her time, but I worry this issue will be brushed under the carpet and shamefully, allowed to reoccur. There’s words, let us see actions, via open and honest debate, not shrouded by the misconceptions of cannabis use.
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