Life-Saving Bleed Kit to Honour Gordon Gault After Elswick Machete Killing

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A new bleed control kit will soon be placed on Elswick Road, Newcastle, near the site where 14-year-old Gordon Gault was fatally stabbed in 2022. The emergency kit is part of a campaign led by Gordon’s mother, Dionne Barrett, to help prevent other families from suffering the same tragedy.

Dionne, who has campaigned for improved access to emergency equipment since her son’s death, believes a publicly available bleed control kit could have made a critical difference that day. Newcastle City Council has since agreed to fund the kit, which will feature Gordon’s photograph and be available for public use in severe blood loss emergencies.

“We can’t get Gordon back, but if this kit can be used to save someone else in the future, it would mean more than anything,” Dionne said. “It’s just about stopping another family from going (sic) through what I have. Gordon would definitely have wanted that.”

Gordon died six days after being attacked with a machete near Elswick Park in Newcastle’s West End. Despite the brave efforts of passers-by, who used clothing to try to stem the bleeding, the teenager lost a significant amount of blood before paramedics arrived.

Bleed control kits are designed to offer basic but vital tools to manage heavy bleeding until professional medical help arrives. They are often used in cases involving knife injuries, traffic collisions, or major accidents.

The decision to install the kit came after Dionne raised the issue directly with the council, highlighting the city’s lack of such resources. A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said, “We remain committed to supporting Gordon’s family and honouring his memory. We are currently working with his mother, Dionne, to install a bleed control kit in the local area, a practical and lifesaving legacy in Gordon’s name that will soon be in place.”

Gordon was attacked during a violent confrontation between rival groups, according to evidence heard at Newcastle Crown Court. He managed to make it to Sovereign Place before collapsing. Witnesses attempted to save him, with one woman removing her dressing gown to try to control the bleeding.

Paramedics arrived around 45 minutes later and transported Gordon to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he remained in intensive care. Doctors later told Dionne that the delay in controlling the bleeding had likely caused severe brain damage. Gordon died in the hospital with his mother by his side.

“We waited 45 minutes for an ambulance for Gordon. If there had been something on the scene for someone to treat him, it could have helped,” Dionne said. “I think he could have been saved. It was how long he had been (sic) losing the blood for.”

Dionne has also purchased an indoor bleed kit and is now looking for a local shop or organisation willing to keep it on-site for emergencies. Her hope is that the initiative will not only save lives but also serve as a long-term warning against the dangers of knife crime.

“People will know for years to come why it’s there,” she said. “It’s a reminder of what can happen if you carry a knife. It’s really important that people keep seeing Gordon’s face if they are walking around with knives.”

In January last year, six teenagers stood trial for Gordon’s murder. While none were convicted of murder, Carlos Neto, who was 18 at the time and from Salford, Greater Manchester, and Lawon Natty from Newbiggin Hall in Newcastle, were found guilty of manslaughter. Neto received a sentence of nine years and two months. Natty was sentenced to two years and eight months but was released early as part of a national programme aimed at easing pressure on the prison system.

The installation of the bleed control kit marks a small but significant step towards improving public safety in the area, with Dionne hoping it will be the first of many similar installations across Newcastle.