Kiyan Prince

Kiyan Prince, whose death in May 2006 has brought about an investigation into the reduction of violent crimes Fair use image

Kiyan Prince (25 November 1990 – 18 May 2006)^[1] was a 15 year old British boy who attended the London Academy in Edgware, in the London borough of Barnet. He was fatally stabbed on 18 May 2006, receiving a single lethal knife wound, while intervening to prevent the bullying of another boy. Described as "an outstanding and upstanding boy", Kiyan was a prodigious footballing talent, and represented the Queens Park Rangers youth football team.^[2]

Murder

According to the Metropolitan Police, Kiyan Prince was involved in an altercation with another boy shortly before the stabbing. Kiyan was found at 1535 BST by a sergeant from a local "Safer Neighbourhood" team, and he was transferred to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being pronounced dead two hours later.

Response

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, in response to the killing, has said that he will discuss with the Home Secretary and the Lord Chancellor about assigning maximum imprisonment sentences for those who carry knives. In addition to this, a Violent Crime Reduction Bill is being formulated, that will increase the age at which a person can purchase a knife from 16 to 18.^[3]

Queens Park Rangers paid tribute to Prince, the youth player whom they signed in 2004, and later revealed they planned to sign as a professional. The first team coach at the time, Gary Waddock, said: "The whole club is mourning the loss of one of our own. We are all devastated. Kiyan was certainly one for the future, talented lad who wanted to forge a career in football."^[2]

A 16-year-old youth was charged with Prince's murder on 20 May 2006 and remanded in custody. The conviction of Hannad Hasan for the murder of Kiyan Prince was reported on 2 July 2007. Hasan claimed that he carried the large pocket knife "like a toy". It was not revealed to the jury that a few days prior to stabbing Kiyan, he had used the knife to threaten a schoolgirl on a bus over a seat.

In memory of Kiyan, QPR have made an award called the "Kiyan Prince Goal of the Season", which is awarded to the player who scores QPR's best goal of the season.

The Kiyan Prince Foundation

Spurred by this personal tragedy, Kiyan’s father, former boxer (and ex-International IBF and WBO Champion) Mark Prince, founded the Kiyan Prince Foundation (KPF) in early 2007. It is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to using Kiyan's legacy to combat knife crime and other forms of youth violence. Its mission is to:

“work with young people to increase awareness and address the consequences of gun and knife crime through education. It aims to empower young people by promoting a sense of belonging, self-worth and purpose that can be found outside of gang culture and offending behaviour through providing access to diversionary and preventative activities”.^[4]

References

External links

• "A torrent of grief for Kiyan, the boy with a heart of gold", Daily Telegraph, 20 May 2006
• "The Kiyan Prince Foundation"