Heartbroken mother of Harry Pitman joins 100 mourners at vigil for her son after he was killed on New Year's Eve
2 January 2024, 21:05 | Updated: 2 January 2024, 22:39
The mother of murdered teenager, Harry Pitman, joined 100 mourners at a vigil for her son who was stabbed to death at Primrose Hill.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Harry’s mother, Amanda Woolveridge, 37, was joined by eldest daughter Tayla, 19, son Patrick, 18, and her brother, Terry.
The three came to Downhills Park, around 200 yards from their home in Tottenham, North London.
Harry was an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan and those gathered at the vigil chanted the Spurs song slowly swaying their phones with torches switched on.
One man in attendance shouted: "That was for you, Harry".
Read more: New Ofsted boss says it could be 'more empathetic' as inspections pause after headteacher's suicide
Earlier on in the day at 3.30pm, friends of Harry met at a five-a-side football and basketball court, carrying flowers and balloons.
At around 5pm, balloons were released into the sky.
The teenager had ambitions to join the Army, following in his grandfather’s footsteps, who served in the Second World War.
Harry, 16, was stabbed to death on Primrose Hill whilst waiting to watch the New Year’s Eve firework display.
Police and paramedics were called to Primrose Hill in north London at about 11.40pm where they found Harry. He was pronounced dead just before midnight.
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, the Met said.
He has now been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Harry is said to have been stabbed after an altercation.
Harry's sister Tayla said: "It doesn’t seem real", adding: "I keep on expecting him to come through the front door."
"His dinner is still in the oven, Mum can’t bring herself to remove it."
Tayla said: "He was the middle child of five. He has a four-year-old brother and a five-year-old sister. We haven’t told them what’s happened yet, we don’t know how to.
"Harry was my baby brother, he was the most handsome boy you could ever meet.
"Harry could be mischievous and cheeky and he could really wind me up at times. But he didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He always stood up for what is right."
Meanwhile, one witness claimed that New Year's Eve revellers kept partying even though Harry lay dying nearby.
The woman, called Maissa, posted on a London crime Facebook group that "it was a painful thing."
She said: "I do not think I will forget what happened for the rest of my life."
Maissa added: "The poor person was dying and people were celebrating as if the child was an animal.
"I am now in a state of shock from the ugliness of what I saw . . . could not stay there or celebrate.”
Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Grogan said: "A dedicated team of detectives are working hard to establish the events that led to such a senseless act of violence."
