Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has sent a touching note of condolence to the mother of tragic co-star Robert Knox, who was stabbed to death in a brutal attack last year.
Eighteen year old Knox lost his life last May after a fight outside a nightclub in Kent turned violent. His killer, 22 year old Karl Bishop, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday.
And Radcliffe has joined forces with Knox's close friends and colleagues from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to pay tribute to the young actor - by turning a copy of author J.K. Rowling's sixth novel, on which the film is based, into a book of condolences for Knox's mother.
Radcliffe wrote, "We are all proud to have known you and devastated to have lost you. It is terrible just to write this note. Rest In Peace."
He also quoted a line from a letter by poet D.H. Lawrence, adding, "To anyone else who reads this remember, 'The Dead don't die. They look on and help'", before signing the note, "Dan xxx".
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Harry Potter actor stabbed to death protecting his younger brother
By Adam Lusher and Patrick Sawer
25 May 2008
Robert Knox, 18, who acted alongside Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, became the 28th teenager killed in Britain this year, and the 10th in London to die from stab wounds.
Relatives said his role as Marcus Belby in the film, due for release in November, was set to launch his career as an actor.
Mr Knox was a member of the same rugby club as Jimmy Mizen, the 16-year-old "gentle giant" fatally stabbed in nearby Lee, south-east London, two weeks ago.
In a statement, Rob's parents, Sally and Colin Knox, said: "Rob was kind and thoughtful and would always help out others – he would always spend his last penny on other people instead of himself. The life and soul of the party, he was very outgoing, loved sports, and would always strike up a conversation with people.
"He was respectful to others and adored by all his family and friends. He was an asset to the family."
The murder will reignite a debate about youth crime, knives, and whether the criminal justice system is working. Figures obtained by The Telegraph show that out of more than 60,000 people prosecuted for possessing knives since 1997, only nine have been given the maximum jail term.
The Home Office and Boris Johnson, the new Mayor of London, have introduced measures including police stop-and-search and knife scanners at schools, pubs and clubs, in an attempt to curb their use. Yet the Children's Commissioner for England claimed yesterday that such measures could fuel resentment.
Sir Al Aynsley-Green called the increased police powers "contentious" and told the BBC: "There is a balance here. On the one hand for young people to feel safer by having the presence of the police – but on the other hand making sure the new powers don't create further antagonism by increased stopping and searching."
Mr Knox, a grammar school boy, is understood to have been fatally stabbed after trying to save his 16-year-old brother, Jamie, from a man armed with two knives.
The man began attacking drinkers outside the Metro bar, next to Sidcup railway station, south-east London. Witnesses said that the attacker had earlier been thrown out by bouncers, but returned in the early hours with several friends.
Tarik Ozresberoglu, 17, a trainee steel worker, described how he tried to stem the flow of blood from Mr Knox's wounds then rugby-tackled the attacker into submission.
He said that he was chatting to Rob when the attacker appeared. "He pulled out two wooden kitchen knives at least 6in long from his waistband, and said 'Who's going to make my day then?'
"Girls were screaming. Jamie, Rob's brother, came over and said 'a boy has pulled a knife on me'. I held Rob back, but he pushed me out of the way and said 'he's threatened my little brother'.
"Rob was angry, but he's never started any trouble in his life. I think he just wanted to protect his younger brother. Rob went up to the bloke, who stabbed him four times.
"Rob stumbled back, lifted up his top and we saw the blood seeping from his wounds.
"I took my jumper off and tried to wrap it round Rob's wounds. Then as I was trying to do that, I saw the guy was still stabbing people. I told my friend Charlie Grimley, who had also been stabbed, to look after Rob. Then I ran over to the bloke and rugby-tackled him into a bush."
Struggling to control his emotions, Mr Ozresberoglu added: "I might have felt a hero if Rob was still here, but what I did is never going to bring Rob back. I might have saved more people from being stabbed but Rob still isn't here."
He said he thought Mrs Knox was allowed to hold her son in her arms as he lay dying on the pavement. "She was just crying and crying, sobbing 'why my Rob?'."
A number of drinkers were hurt, including Dean Saunders, 21, Nick Jones, 19, Mr Grimley, 17, and 16-year-old Andrew Dormer. Russell Wood, 21, said that he saw Mr Saunders stabbed in the neck three times .
Mr Wood said: "This guy started accusing everybody of nicking his mobile phone. He made me turn out my pockets. The bouncers chucked him out. But the next thing we knew this chap was outside with about five of his mates. Everybody just tried to get the knife off him and in the process, it seemed, too many people got stabbed."
Mr Grimley described how Mr Knox went to his rescue after the attacker "pulled out two knives and said 'Who wants this?'"
"Rob was just trying to look out for his mate," said Mr Grimley. "My stab wound had fractured my cheek bone. Rob saw me get stabbed, tried to get the knife off the bloke and was stabbed himself."
Mr Knox's father, Colin, was for many years the junior chairman of Sidcup Rugby Club, where Danny Mizen, Jimmy's brother, was a captain. Danny Mizen said last night: "My thoughts are with his family."
Kevin May, 42, Mr Knox's uncle, said: "Where's it all going to end? When is this violence and the carrying of knives by young people going to stop? Something's got to be done. Two stabbings in two weeks is too much."
A spokesman for Warner Brothers, the makers of the Harry Potter films, said: "We are deeply shocked by the news and our thoughts and sympathy are with the family."
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "A man aged 21 has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He is being held in custody. We do not believe the incident is gang-related."
The new figures on sentencing for knife crime, released by Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, were seized on as evidence that courts are failing to heed ministers' repeated demands for a crackdown on those who carry knives.
The Tories called the statistics "shocking" and accused ministers of "failing to get a grip" on a big increase in knife crime since Labour came to power.
The maximum sentence for carrying a knife in a public place is two years in jail, rising to four years if the offence was committed in a school. In 1997, 4,466 people were convicted of "having an article with a blade or point in a public place", a figure that rose to 7,654 by 2006. There were 60,366 prosecutions over the 10-year period, of which 47,338 resulted in a conviction.
Over the same period, 495 people were prosecuted for having a knife in a school. Of these, 479 were found guilty, yet only nine people were given the maximum possible sentence, Mr Straw admitted. James Brokenshire, the shadow home affairs minister, called the findings "disturbing".
Knife crime facts
- 14 teenagers have been stabbed to death in Britain this year
- A third of murders are committed with knives
- Four per cent of young people aged 10 to 25 admitted in a Home Office survey to having carried a knife in the previous 12 months
- 550 metal-detecting wands and 244 metal-scanning arches have been deployed by the Metropolitan Police across inner London boroughs as part of its stop-and-search operation
- 934 knives, guns and other lethal weapons were seized from children in schools between 2005 and 2007
- One in three young people living in inner cities thinks it is acceptable to carry a knife in self-defence, a survey found
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