Attenborough blames movies for knife crime

Lord Richard Attenborough has claimed that violent movies are partly to blame for the rise in knife crime in the UK.

In a speech at Sussex University this week, the veteran filmmaker suggested that graphic scenes in movies have made weapons seem "acceptable" in society.

"Thirty years ago if Gary Cooper pulled out a gun the audience would give a sharp intake of breath," Attenborough explained. "Now the act of violence is the norm and we in the entertainment industry are partly responsible in making the presence of weapons such as knives almost an acceptable commonplace."

He added: "So now knife crime is not thought of as something that is horrific and to be abhorred. It is part of normal existence."

Singer Lily Allen recently met London Mayor Boris Johnson to discuss the problem.