THREE youths have been convicted at the Old Bailey today of murdering the 16-year-old brother of EastEnders soap star Brooke Kinsella in a street knife attack. Brooke wept in court as the jury returned guilty verdicts after the killing of schoolboy Ben who was stabbed 11 times
ABOVE: George Kinsella, surrounded by his family including Brooke on his right, and supporters outside the Old Bailey and (inset) Ben Kinsella at home...
BELOW: The convicted killers, Jade Braithwate, 20, and the two he recruited,’ Juress Kika, 19, and Michael Alleyne, 18...
THREE youths have been convicted at the Old Bailey today (Thursday) of murdering the 16-year-old brother of EastEnders soap star Brooke Kinsella in a street knife attack.
Brooke wept in court as the jury returned guilty verdicts after the killing of schoolboy Ben Kinsella who was stabbed 11 times.
The Kinsella family were mobbed by cheering supporters outside the court after the verdict, many shouting “justice.”
Ben’s father George KInsella, flanked by Brooke and other members of the family (pictured), read out an emotional statement in which he said knife crime was “embedded in the very heart of Great Britain.”
ANIMALS’
He branded his son’s killers as “animals” and described the stabbing as brutal.
“Almost one year ago our precious, gentle son Ben was brutally murdered on the streets of London,” he said.
“How many more families like ours will have to stand outside the Old Bailey to get justice for their children?
“Our son’s only crime’ was to be the last to run away from those animals.”
He added: “We hope the sentence will reflect the brutality inflicted on our son.”
CORNERED
Ben was chased down the street, cornered by a van and knifed 11 times in five seconds as he pleaded with his attackers that he had done nothing wrong.
The ringleader, Jade Braithwaite, 20, from Old Ford in East London, is being sentenced tomorrow (Friday) along with the two he recruited,’ Juress Kika, 19, and Michael Alleyne, 18, both from Holloway in north London.
The killing last July sparked a national outcry and led to marches protesting against youth knife crime blighting the nation.
Ben had written to Gordon Brown just weeks before his murder, urging the Prime Minister to put an end to the cycle of violence.
Brooke, who played Kelly Taylor in BBC’s EastEnders, launched a campaign following his death urging youths to give up knives.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here