Mum of NYE stab victim Harry Pitman, 16, ‘can’t bring herself to take dinner out of the oven’ as it sits waiting for him
THE GRIEVING mum of a teen who was stabbed to death on New Year's Eve has told how she can’t bring herself to take his dinner out of the oven.
Harry Pitman, 16, died on Primrose Hill in North London while tens of thousands of revellers were preparing to cheer in the New Year.
He was given CPR for ten minutes among crowds who had gathered on parkland to watch London’s 2024 fireworks display - but the 6ft 3in schoolboy could not be saved.
Last night Harry’s devastated siblings told of the family’s heartbreak.
His sister Tayla, 19, said his mother Amanda Woolveridge, 37, was so upset she could not remove from her oven the dinner she made Harry on the night he died.
Tayla, of Tottenham, North London, added: “It doesn’t seem real, I keep on expecting him to come through the front door.
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"His dinner is still in the oven, Mum can’t bring herself to remove it.
“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.”
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Harry’s brother Patrick, 18, said his younger sibling was a huge Spurs fan.
The schoolboy had been waiting with pals to watch the fireworks when he was stabbed at 11.40pm on New Year’s Eve.
Police said he was involved in an altercation of "senseless violence" with “devastating consequences”.
A huge crowd had gathered on the 200ft-high vantage point — north of Regent’s Park — which overlooks the London Eye.
Witnesses told of the aftermath of the attack.
Benedict Smith said police put up a cordon “and ambulances came through the crowd up to the top of the hill”, adding: “The police and medical crew were doing constant CPR for at least ten minutes.”
A woman called Maissa wrote on the London Crime Facebook Group: “I was there and saw the child. It was a painful thing. I do not think I will forget what happened for the rest of my life.”
Maissa told how some revellers carried on partying as Harry slipped away.
She said: “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.”
Neighbourhood group Primrose Hill Watch estimated between 20,000 and 50,000 people were in the Grade II listed Victorian park to watch the fireworks.
A boy, also 16, was arrested on suspicion of murder. He was last night in custody at a North London police station.
Parts of the park were sealed off yesterday.
Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Grogan, who is leading the investigation said: "My thoughts and sympathies are with Harry's family and friends at this difficult time.
"He was a young man with the rest of his life ahead of him.
"His family are understandably devastated and specially trained officers are supporting them as they come to terms with their loss.
"A dedicated team of detectives are working hard to establish the events that led to such a senseless act of violence.
"We are reviewing CCTV footage from the area and are carrying out a forensic examination of the scene.
"We know Harry was with a group of friends near the viewing platform on Primrose Hill where they had gathered to celebrate the New Year.
"It is here where we believe Harry became involved in an altercation with devastating consequences.
"Primrose Hill was very busy at the time and I believe there are people who witnessed the incident who have not yet spoken to police.
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“It is vital that we build a clear picture of the moments leading up to, and immediately after, Harry's murder and I need anyone with information about the altercation, or the attack, to contact us immediately."
Harry was the 22nd teenager to be murdered in the capital in 2023.
