I always worried about knife crime, says grandfather of teenager killed on New Year’s Eve
The grandfather of a schoolboy stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve has said he always worried when he saw reports of teenagers being knifed in London “and now it has happened to us”.
Harry Pitman, 16, was stabbed at Primrose Hill in Camden, north London, minutes before midnight.
A 16-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murder was bailed by police on Tuesday pending further enquiries.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Derek Pitman, Harry’s grandfather, said he had been getting increasingly worried about knife crime in the capital.
The 71-year-old said: “When we used to see reports of stabbings in Tottenham or wherever, the first thing we thought was I hope that isn’t a member of my family, because it could be any innocent bystander who gets stabbed these days.
“So every time we saw a stabbing we felt relieved when it wasn’t someone we knew. And it hadn’t been, until now.
“Something has to be done. I think if you get caught with a knife it should be straight away two years in prison – that’s it. Perhaps that would stop it, but I don’t know.”
A large crowd of people gathered for a vigil for Harry at Downhills Park in Tottenham on Tuesday, carrying flowers and balloons. Harry’s mother, brother and sister were among the attendees. Following a round of applause, the balloons were released into the air.
Mr Pitman, who said the family had been in “a daze”, described the moment he was told that Harry had died. He said the teenager’s father, Neil Pitman, 39, rang and “was just saying ‘no, no, no it can’t be true’ over and over, and then he said ‘Harry’s been stabbed. He’s dead’”.
After receiving their son’s phone call, Mr Pitman told The Telegraph, he and his wife, Pearl, 69, drove across London to Tottenham.
“I spoke to the police, and they told me that Harry had been stabbed in the neck and he bled out and there was nothing the paramedics could do,” he said. “When the police told his dad [Harry had died], he punched a hole in the wall. It was awful.
“When we arrived, Neil was in tears and said he had been texting Harry to wish him happy new year and he said he had been confused as to why he couldn’t get hold of him. Harry’s dinner was still on the table. Still on the plate. His mum, who hasn’t stopped crying, kept saying that’s his dinner, he hasn’t had his dinner.”
Harry had travelled from his home in Tottenham, where he lived with his siblings and parents, to to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks with friends from Primrose Hill.
Mr Pitman said Harry had never been in trouble before and described him as “bubbly, full of joy and always with a smile on his face”. He last saw Harry about two weeks before Christmas when he came to visit from his job at a leisure centre near their home.
He said Harry was a Tottenham Hotspur fan and had decided he wanted to join the Army in the months before he died. “I’m dreading the funeral. I think that is when it will hit home,” he added.
The victim’s brother said he wanted Harry’s name to be chanted in the 16th minute of the next Tottenham match.
Harry’s murder took the number of teenagers killed in London last year to 22.
His older sister Tayla, 19, posted a tribute to him on TikTok, alongside pictures of the pair growing up. She said: “I love you H, more than you could ever imagine. I just want you to come home. I’m so sorry my sweet boy, I love you to the moon.”
On Tuesday, detectives were seen scouring the area near where the attack took place with metal detectors.
It is estimated that tens of thousands of people were on and around Primrose Hill on Sunday night, and detectives have appealed for witnesses, especially those who might have mobile phone footage, to contact them.
