NY DEATH CHARGE
Harry Pitman: Boy, 16, charged with murder after teen, 16, stabbed to death at New Year’s display
Harry's family have told of their 'devastation' over losing him
A BOY has been charged with the murder of a "fun-loving" teen who was stabbed to death on New Year's Eve.
Harry Pitman, 16, tragically died while crowds gathered on London's Primrose Hill to watch the city's 2024 fireworks display.
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Medics had worked to save the teen after he was understood to have been knifed during a fight.
Devastatingly, "vibrant" Harry was pronounced dead just 20 minutes before midnight.
The Crown Prosecution Service today said a 16-year-old had been charged with Harry's murder.
It came after three teens were arrested and quizzed over the attack on the schoolboy.
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Lisa Ramsarran, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS London Homicide Team, said: "The 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, is also charged with possessing an offensive weapon."
She added: "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings are active and that the defendant has the right to a fair trial.
"It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."
The teen, from Westminister, appeared before Highbury Magistrates' Court this morning.
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He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, will appear in the Old Bailey on Tuesday.
A 17-year-old had also been arrested in connection to Harry's death, and Met Police today said he had been released on bail.
In the wake of his death, the teen's grandad described him as a "cheeky chappy" with "bright ginger hair he wore like a badge of honour".
Speaking outside his home in Tottenham, Philip Woolveridge, 59, said: "I can't express how devastated we are as a family.
“Moving forward is going to be a slow process. I just cannot believe he's no longer here. I'm angry. I'm very angry.
“He was really funny. Growing up, we looked after the children for a while and he was like Velcro to me.
"He was a lovely child. He was a fun-loving child, always laughing and joking.
"Every New Year's Eve is going to be a reminder of this now."
Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Grogan, who is leading the investigation, said in recent days: “Harry’s family is devastated. He was a vibrant young man who should have had his life ahead of him.
"We continue to support them as they struggle to come to terms with their loss.”
On Tuesday about 100 mourners gathered at Downhills Park in Haringey to pay their respects to Harry.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou also paid tribute to Harry, a Spurs fan, with the father of three boys saying: "You don't even want to be thinking about the circumstances of the family and again where we are as a society ... the fact that these things still happen like this and young lives are lost for absolutely no reason.
"I couldn't even contemplate the grief and the pain of what the family are going through.
"I've always felt that football clubs are more than just the embodiment of what we do. In sport they are an extended community and an extended family for people.
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"If it even gives them the smallest crumb of comfort, then it's the least we can do and our fans can do.
"It's just tragic and inconceivable that people and families still have to suffer this grief."
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