Ten years ago today, Alison Cope experienced every parent’s worst nightmare as she waited to see if her teenage son would win his fight for survival in hospital.

Joshua Ribera, who she remembers as ‘my life, my world,’ had been rushed to an intensive care unit after being stabbed outside a nightclub in Birmingham.

The promising young rapper, also known as Depzman, died at 5.58am while his mum waited anxiously in a family room at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Since losing Joshua on September 21, 2013, she has devoted her time to saving other young lives and has spoken in schools and colleges across the country.

‘It’s been 10 years without my life, my world, my son and I’m feeling it emotionally,’ Alison said.

‘It makes you reflect on everything; the night he got stabbed, his fight to survive at the hospital and the morning he lost his life.

‘Over the last 10 years I’ve spoken to 1,300,000 people at schools, colleges and conferences, but I still don’t have Joshua.

‘Many people have said he could have been the same level as Stormzy, he could have been an international artist and definitely one of the top UK artists. He could have potentially had his own family, his own home, but his future was taken away from him.’

Born in Solihull, Joshua played drums from the age of eight and sang in school plays before making a serious move into grime, with his videos featured on the genre’s biggest YouTube channels.

His promise was cut short when he was stabbed by Armani Mitchell outside a memorial party in Selly Oak on the night before his death.

Mitchell, also aged 18 at the time, left the grime artist fighting for life after plunging a three-inch hunting knife into his heart.

The killer was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 18 years at Birmingham Crown Court six months later.

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Alison, 49, from Moseley in Birmingham, is determined to continue ‘taking on the world’ after taking time out today to reflect and release balloons and fireworks to mark the 10th anniversary.

This week, the anti-violence campaigner has been placing flowers and a loving message at every place connected with her son’s death, including where he was fatally stabbed.

‘I know Joshua would have looked after me as I got old and it frightens me a little bit to think of the future without him, but I’m here and I have to get on with things,’ she said. ‘I’m going to take a few days to reflect and then I will be back taking on the world again.’

The mum has left the tributes in places including outside TC’s nightclub, which has since been demolished, and at the hospital.

The words read: ‘10 years since you were taken from us, many hearts left broken. You haven’t been forgotten Joshua and you never will be.

‘I loved you so much and I miss you every second of every day.

‘All my love forever. Mummy.’

The self-funded campaigner, who has won awards for her work, visits schools, colleges and other public forums across the country to share her story and try to steer other young people away from crime and violence.

Her work has been thrown into perspective by figures showing the number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales hit a record level in the year to March 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics.

A knife or sharp implement was used in 282 homicides, representing a 19% rise on the previous 12 months and the highest annual total since records began in 1946, the institute’s research shows.

The government’s response to the bloodshed has included announcing earlier this month that it is clamping down on zombie knives and machetes by closing loopholes taken advantage of by some retailers.

The move included outlawing blades which are designed to look threatening and have no practical use. Alison welcomes the package of measures — also including allowing the weapons to be seized during property searches — but believes that education is ultimately the tool to saving lives.

Among the projects that she has taken part in is a music video where deepfake technology was used to show Joshua delivering a message from beyond the grave.

In the affecting track, Joshua tells his story and how he wanted to make his mum proud before a ‘petty fight’ cut his hopes and dreams short.

‘I’m kept going by the responses I receive from parents and professionals and how in a lot of cases my work does inspire people to change when they’ve made bad choices,’ said Alison.

‘I also get a sense of pride knowing that everyone gets to know about Joshua, and each session I do more and more people get to know about him. It gives me a lot of happiness to know that he will be in people’s minds that evening and in the future.’

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