My brother was k.n.i.f.e.d to d.e.a.t.h at just 16 – I’ll make sure no one else experiences our pain, ex-EastEnders star vows
Ben was celebrating the end of his GCSE exams when he was k.i.l.l.e.d
A FORMER EastEnders actress has sworn to tackle knife crime 17 years on from her teenage brother’s senseless m.u.r.d.e.r.
Brooke Kinsella, 41, has called on the public to get involved and help stop knife crime so that no one else goes through her “trauma and pain”.
Brooke rose to fame in her role as Kelly Taylor on the soap EastEnders between 2001 and 2004.
When her brother Ben was brutally stabbed to d.e.a.t.h in 2008, the actress and her parents set up a knife prevention charity in his memory.
Ben was just 16-years-old when he was m.u.r.d.e.r.e.d in Islington, North London.
He was out celebrating the end of his GCSE exams when there was a row at a bar and he was chased by three men.
The teenager – who was blameless in the argument – was kicked to the ground and stabbed multiple times.
Jade Braithwaite, Michael Alleyne and Juress Kika were jailed for life with a minimum 19-year term for the boy’s m.u.r.d.e.r.
The Ben Kinsella Trust – set up by his family – are leading the Knife Crime Awareness Week which starts today.
Charities, victims, police forces and the Government will come together as part of a major new bid to tackle Britain’s knife-crime epidemic.
It aims to help support police forces across the UK in their ongoing battle against knife crime.
Children as young as eight are carrying blades to school and stab each other over video games as the UK experiences a knife crime epidemic.
Experts have estimated one in 20 children have carried a knife.
It comes amid a crackdown on online deliveries of the blades following the horrifying m.u.r.d.e.r.s of three schoolgirls by Axel Rudakubana, who bought his weapon online.
Brooke said: “Ben has now been gone from our lives longer than we ever had him. It’s been seventeen years since his m.u.r.d.e.r and the pain never stops. He should be in the prime of his life.
“Through the Ben Kinsella Trust, our family has relentlessly pursued the goal of ending knife crime, but we know that we can’t do this alone.
“Knife Crime Awareness Week highlights the work that is being done to help tackle this and to ensure other families don’t experience the trauma and pain that we all went through. I’d encourage everyone to get involved, because we all have a role to play in stopping knife crime.”
Among those supporting the campaign is Pooja Kanda, the mother of Ronan Kanda, who was fatally stabbed in 2022 also at the age of just 16.
He was walking back from his friend’s house after buying a Playstation controller when he was set up by the teens.
Footage showed two hooded assailants ran up behind him clutching a ninja sword and machete.
The boy was just yards from his home in Wolverhampton when he was stabbed twice by Prabjeet Veadhesa, 17.
He collapsed in the road and d.i.e.d from catastrophic injuries after being knifed in the heart.
His mother said: “Losing my son Ronan to knife crime has left an unimaginable void in our lives. Knife Crime Awareness Week is a crucial time to remember all those affected by this senseless violence.
“We must educate our young people about the devastating consequences and build a society where carrying a knife is never seen as an option. Let Ronan’s memory inspire us all to take action and build a safer, brighter future for every child.”
The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention Dame Diana Johnson is also supporting the campaign.
She said: “We cannot let the irreversible pain and suffering caused by knife crime become inevitable in our society. This government has a mission to halve knife crime over the next decade and we are acting with urgency – we have already banned more d.e.a.d.l.y weapons and are bringing in Ronan’s Law, which will go further than ever to curb the sale of weapons online.
“Through our Plan for Change, we are also developing a Young Futures programme to intervene earlier to prevent young people going down the wrong path.
“But we cannot achieve this alone and initiatives like Knife Crime Awareness Week are so important in focusing public attention on tackling this crime.”
Patrick Green, the CEO of the Ben Kinsella Trust, said knife crime isn’t “unavoidable”.
He said: “It’s easy to feel that knife crime can never be stopped. Relentless increases in statistics can create the impression that it’s an unavoidable part of society. However, Knife Crime Awareness Week demonstrates that this doesn’t have to be the case.
“The week showcases the positive impact of organisations and individuals working to tackle knife crime, proving that change can happen. Stopping knife crime requires a collective effort, and Knife Crime Awareness Week provides the opportunity for everyone to contribute.”
Commander Stephen Clayman, the NPCC lead for Knife Crime said: “Whilst we will also do more to restrict the supply of certain knives and swords, particularly online, we are clear that policing alone is not the long-term solution. Prevention and early intervention remains absolutely vital.
“By working hand-in-hand with communities, families, and partner organisations, as highlighted during this crucial awareness week, we can collectively do more to address the root causes of knife crime and build safer futures for our young people.”
In February, the country’s knife crime crisis was laid bare in The Sun’s interactive map.
And in January, the Mayor of London’s knighthood was branded a “joke” by families of knife crime victims.
Sadiq Khan had overseen the biggest ever jump in knife possession on record, The Sun revealed.
