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Police teams search drains in the hunt for clues |
‘This wasn’t gangs, it was a nothing row that led to a tragedy’
BEN Kinsella was more than just a soap star’s brother. To his closest friends he was one of the most popular boys at Holloway School, to his teachers he was a talented role model with a bright future ahead of him and to his family he was an “angel”
A giant shrine – a sea of flowers and cards – dressed with scarves and shirts in the colours of his beloved Arsenal football team, marks the spot where the 16-year-old was stabbed at the junction of York Way and North Road.
His friends are due to light candles at the scene in his memory at 2am on Sunday – exactly a week after the attack.
Detectives are trying to piece together how Ben got “sucked into” a dispute in the Shillibeers bar. He had been at the venue, at the other end of North Road, celebrating completing his GCSE exams. A fight broke out and led to among 50 youths spilling out on the streets. After a chase, Ben was stabbed several times and died later at the Whittington Hospital early on Sunday.
The police investigation has involved officers scouring drains for the murder weapon. Two knives have been recovered. CCTV footage is also being analysed. Three teenagers were questioned on Wednesday on suspicion of murder, while earlier in the day a fourth was released on bail. A fresh appeal was made at a police press conference on Wednesday.
On Tuesday hundreds of Ben’s schoolfriends, prompted by an overnight internet campaign, joined his grieving family – including his sister Brooke, once an actress in EastEnders – in a traffic-stopping march from Islington Town Hall to the murder scene. Brooke, speaking on behalf of parents Deborah, a secretary, and cabbie George, as well as her sisters, Jade, 22, and Georgia, 14, who live in Islington, said: “Please, boys and girls, put down your knives and weapons and think about the pain and suffering they will cause.”
Among the marchers was Linda Robson, the Birds of A Feather actress, whose son Louis cradled Ben as he lay dying on the street.
She said: “It’s got to stop. How many more families will be hurt? It’s getting worse.”
Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald, of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: “There’s a reluctance of people, who I know have information of importance, to come forward. We have no issue with protecting witnesses. In Shillibeers there may have been 100-150 people.
“Ben had absolutely nothing to do with any of this. He wasn’t involved in any disturbance in the pub or anything outside afterwards. This was over a minor, nothing incident in the pub when one or two of Ben’s associates were involved in an argument with some other people. It’s not gang-related as far as we know.”
Detective Superintendent Vic Rae added: “How Ben got sucked into this disturbance is unclear, but it climaxed with his tragic stabbing.” |
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