Former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella has issued an emotional plea to end knife crime 15 years on from the death of her brother Ben.
Ben was just 16-years-old when he was stabbed to death in Islington, north London on 29 June 2008.
Speaking out as part of Knife Crime Awareness Week, actress Brooke said his loss “continues to devastate our family”.
They have since set up the Ben Kinsella Trust in Ben’s memory in a bid to stop knife crime and the senseless loss of more lives.
But Brooke called for custodial sentences for carrying knives to be harsher to act as a deterrent.
She said: “Fifteen years ago, my brother Ben was tragically stolen from us by the senseless act of knife violence.
“His loss continues to devastate our family - fuelling our determination to eradicate knife crime and prevent other families from enduring the pain we have experienced.”
The 39-year-old, who rose to fame playing Kelly Taylor in EastEnders, continued: “Every day we hear stories of young lives ended too soon and families left devastated by the senseless violence that surrounds us.
“It’s not just the physical harm that is inflicted, but the emotional trauma that lingers long after the incident has passed.
“It’s really disturbing to see figures detailing how so many habitual knife carriers are not receiving the harshest punishment – prison.
“We need to send a clear message that carrying a knife is not OK.
“Yet each year more and more people appear to be escaping custodial sentences. It puts many people in needless danger.”
Vowing to never stop campaigning against knife crime, the mum-of-two added: “I will never give up campaigning to stop knife crime.
“This is why I am proud to be part of Knife Crime Awareness Week, which is an important initiative that seeks to educate and engage communities in the fight against knife crime.
“By coming together and raising awareness, we can create a safer environment for our young people and work towards a future free from the devastating impact of knife violence.”
When Ben died in 2008 he had been out celebrating the end of his GCSE’s with friends, including Loose Women star Linda Robson’s son Louis.
On their way home, they realised they were being followed by three older teenagers seeking revenge for an altercation in a club that had taken place earlier that evening.
Ben and his friends had nothing to do with what happened in the club, but they chased after them and set upon Ben in an unprovoked attack.
After kicking him to the ground, the teenager was stabbed 11 times and his pal Louis held him as he lay dying in the street.
Ben’s killers Juress Kika, Jade Braithwaite and Michael Alleyn, who were 18, 19 and 20 at the time, were jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years.
The Ben Kinsella Trust has since helped increase the minimum sentence for knife murders from 15 years to 25 years, but Brooke says more still needs to be done.
Her comments come days after 17-year-old Marques Walker was jailed for life for stabbing and killing defenceless Jermaine Cools, 14, while on bail for possession of a zombie knife.
Patrick Green, CEO of the Ben Kinsella Trust, warned: “The system is broken. Victims are being let down. Public safety is being compromised.
“We’ve definitely seen an increase in the use of non-custodial outcomes and suspended sentences. But Covid has played its part too. Courts are not sitting and this created a backlog of cases. Add to this underinvestment in our courts and you have a perfect storm.”
* Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter and Facebook
