Boy, 16, killed ‘in the blink of an eye’ on Primrose Hill

A 16-year-old boy was killed almost instantly after he was stabbed in the neck at a crowded New Year’s Eve event, a court has heard.

Harry Pitman had gathered with dozens of other revellers on London’s Primrose Hill to watch fireworks over the Thames on December 31, 2023, when he was allegedly attacked by Areece Lloyd-Hall, now 18.

Lloyd-Hall’s Old Bailey retrial began this morning, with prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC saying: ‘Every year, large numbers of members of the public gather on Primrose Hill to celebrate the turning of the New Year.

‘But on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2023, revelry turned to tragedy in the blink of an eye. Harry Pitman, aged 16, was stabbed once in the neck.

‘He died almost immediately as a result of that single but deadly injury.’

The deadly blow was caused by a knife brought to the celebrations by defendant Lloyd-Hall, who was also 16 at the time, the court heard.

Ms Ledward told jurors that Harry and Lloyd-Hall were strangers to each other and had gone to Primrose Hill with separate groups of friends.

Before the defendant arrived, Harry had chatted with a special constable who told the court he ‘physically bounced over’ and seemed ‘overall positive in his attitude towards police’.

The jubilant atmosphere shifted when Harry’s friend became involved in an altercation. Harry was seen on video trying to calm him down.

He went on to engage in a friendly conversation with a man watching the fireworks and gave him a ‘fist bump’, the court was told.

Shortly after, Harry accidentally bumped into another boy while ‘play-fighting’ and practising high kicks.

During the confrontation, Harry told the boy, ‘Don’t touch me because I didn’t touch you.’

Ms Ledward showed jurors mobile phone video clips of the fast-paced events, saying the stabbing happened in the space of 20 seconds.

As Lloyd-Hall approached Harry, he was allegedly holding his trousers and saying ‘wot wot wot wot wot’.

Amid the scuffle, Lloyd-Hall appeared to swing his right hand down on Harry’s shoulder, the court was told.

A knife glinted in the light, and the sheath flew off into the air, capturing the moment of the fatal stab wound.

Just before, a female voice was heard screaming ‘mindi’ – the Somali word for knife.

After being stabbed, Harry pushed his way out of the crowd towards police officers standing nearby, his T-shirt covered in blood.

Police and paramedics administered first aid, but the bleeding from Harry’s neck wound was catastrophic and proved fatal.

Lloyd-Hall, from Westminster, has denied murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter.

Mr Justice Cavanagh told jurors in the retrial that Lloyd-Hall’s defence would be that he thought the knife was covered by a sheath when he struck Harry and that he acted in self-defence or defence of others.

Witnesses saw the boy who had stabbed Harry leave the park immediately, the court was told.

The retrial continues and has been adjourned until Wednesday.

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