The tragedy struck on 31 December 2023, when Harry Bateman, a 16-year-old schoolboy, was stabbed to death at 11.40pm in Primrose Hill during New Year's Eve fireworks. He allegedly got into an altercation with another teenager and was stabbed as a result. Police have reportedly arrested a 16-year-old as a suspect.
Paramedics were called to the scene and spent 10 minutes performing CPR on Pittman, but were unsuccessful. Harry Bateman reportedly died just minutes before twelve o'clock arrived.
According to the Daily Mail's Harry Bateman, St. Thomas More High School student, gathered at Primrose Hill with seven friends to watch the annual New Year's Eve fireworks. Harry Bateman's sister, Tayla, described her brother as “mischievous and rude” and did not have a “bad bone in his body”. According to the Daily Mail, she also said:
“Harry was my little brother, he was the most handsome boy you could ever meet. Harry could be mischievous and rude and could tease me sometimes. But he didn't have a bad bone in his body. He always stood up for what was right.”
Harry Bateman, 16, a student at St. Thomas More High School, was stabbed to death during New Year's Eve fireworks.
Harry Bateman hails from Tottenham, north London, to parents Amanda Wolfridge, 37, and Neil Bateman, 39. He was the middle of five children. He attended Wilbury Primary School in Edmonton and was a student at St. Thomas More High School in Wood Green. Harry Bateman was also Catholic and was confirmed at St John Vianney's Church in Haringay last Easter, MailOnline reported.
According to a statement to the Daily Mail, his 19-year-old sister, Tayla, said that their four-year-old brother and five-year-old sister still do not know of Harry's death.
“We haven't told them what happened yet, and we don't know how to do it,” she said.
Tayla also said their mother was devastated and couldn't bring herself to take Harry's dinner out of the oven. I continued:
“I remember hugging him [Harry] In my arms for the first time when I was barely three years old. Now he will never be able to grow.”
According to Tayla, Harry Bateman dreamed of joining the army and enlisting in the SAS.
“Our great-grandfather, George Davis, was a sergeant in World War II,” she said. “Harry wanted to follow in his footsteps and join the army. He wanted to be on the front line.”
Harry's older brother, Patrick, 18, said he knew Harry “better than anyone else” because they had shared a room “for the best part of 16 years”. Patrick said that even after he left home, Harry would often look for him, and they would “play video games and talk about getting older.”
“he [Harry] “He's not going to grow up now, someone took his life,” Patrick said.
He also said that Harry Bateman was a huge football fan and had been a Tottenham supporter as a teenager “born and raised in Tottenham”. Patrick's most fond memory of them together was of them getting on the field after a celebrity charity football match a few years ago.
Harry's parents were reportedly too upset to make any comments. A family friend said:
“for him [Harry’s] “The mother is devastated, the whole family is as well.”
According to MailOnline, Harry Bateman is believed to have traveled five miles from his home to Primrose Hill in Camden to watch the fireworks. Primrose Hill, an exclusive, elite suburb of London with multi-million pound homes, is home to celebrities such as Jude Law, Daniel Craig and Kate Moss, to name a few.
The investigation into Harry Bateman's death continues as the Metropolitan Police comb the area for evidence
An estimated 20,000 to 50,000 people gathered on Primrose Hill for the spectacular fireworks display. Instead, they become witnesses to a murder as Harry Bateman is stabbed just before midnight.
Police and paramedics were called to the scene at 11.40pm. Onlookers captured footage of ambulances rushing to reach the victim, but it was eventually too late. Harry Bateman was reportedly pronounced dead after paramedics failed to revive him.
According to The Sun, one witness, Benedict Smith, said police established a cordon, and “ambulances came through the crowd and up the hill.” he added,
“Police and medical personnel were performing continuous CPR for at least ten minutes.”
Another woman named Misa wrote on the London Crime Facebook group about the continuing horrors of the party after the teenager's death. Published:
“I was there and saw the child. It was painful. I don’t think I will forget what happened for the rest of my life. The poor person was dying and people were celebrating as if the child was an animal.”
According to the BBC, Chief Inspector Geoff Grogan of the Metropolitan Police appealed for witnesses to contact them with any information.
“We know that Harry was with a group of friends near the viewing platform at Primrose Hill where they had gathered to celebrate the New Year. Here we believe Harry was involved in an altercation that had devastating consequences. Primrose Hill was very busy at I believe there were people who witnessed the incident and have not yet spoken to the police”.
Primrose Hill was closed on Monday 1 January for investigation. The police cordoned off the area using police tape, and set up forensic tents.
According to the Daily Mail, Harry Bateman was the 22nd teenager to be stabbed in London in 2023, and 18 of them died from their wounds. As previously reported, police arrested a 16-year-old colleague as a suspect. The teenager was detained at a north London police station.
