The sister of Primrose Hill stabbing victim Harry Pitman has shared a heartbreaking tribute to the 16-year-old who was stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve.
Taylor Pitman, 19, posted a video reel of touching photos of her brother set to the song ‘You Are My Sunshine’.
She said: ‘I love you H, more than you could ever imagine, I just want you to come home.
‘I’m so sorry my sweet boy I love you to the moon and back.’
Harry Pitman died just moments before midnight as he watched the Primrose Hill fireworks from Camden, surrounded by thousands of revellers.
Harry Pitman, 16, was knifed to death on New Year’s Eve moment before midnight as he was watching the Primrose Hill fireworks in Camden
Harry’s 19-year-old sister Tayla (pictured) paid a heartbreaking tribute to her younger brother
She shared photos of the youngster set to the song ‘You Are My Sunshine’ by Christina Perri
She said: ‘I love you H, more than you could ever imagine, I just want you to come home. ‘I’m so sorry my sweet boy I love you to the moon and back’
His family are now asking Tottenham Hotspur fans – Harry’s favourite team – to pay tribute to the teenager at Friday’s match against Burnley.
They have asked Spurs fans to chant his name and applaud in tribute at a match on Friday after he was knifed to death on New Year’s Eve.
It comes after a vigil was held for the ‘cheeky chappy’ near their home in Tottenham, with his heartbroken mother Amanda Woolveridge among the 100 mourners.
His family are now asking Tottenham Hotspur fans – Harry’s favourite team – to pay tribute to the teenager at Friday’s match against Burnley
They have asked Spurs fans to chant his name and applaud in tribute at a match on Friday after he was knifed to death on New Year’s Eve
Harry’s grandfather Derek Pitman, 71, said his grandson, who was 6ft3in, was one of the tallest people in their family
The heartbroken grandfather said: ‘He is one of the biggest members of the family – being tall can make you a target’
He added: He had bright ginger hair that he grew into and he wore it well – like a badge of honour’
Mr Pitman said he feels ‘numb’ from shock with all the family are ‘just walking around in a daze’
Harry’s grandfather Derek Pitman, 71, said his grandson, who was 6ft3in, was one of the tallest people in their family.
The heartbroken grandfather said: ‘He is one of the biggest members of the family – being tall can make you a target. He had bright ginger hair that he grew into and he wore it well – like a badge of honour.’
The Metropolitan Police said yesterday that a 16-year-old boy who had been arrested on suspicion of murder was released on bail pending further investigation. It said today that enquiries were ongoing.
Harry Pitman (pictured) died just moments before midnight on New Year’s Eve
Police officers conduct a search on Primrose Hill in Camden, north London
People release balloons as they take part in a vigil in Downhills Park
Mr Pitman said he had become increasingly concerned about the rise in teen stabbings in London and ‘now it’s happened to us’.
Describing the moment he found out about his grandson’s death, the grief-stricken 71-year-old told the Telegraph: ‘We got a text from Harry’s dad saying Happy New Year and then about half past 12 he rang us again.
‘He was just saying ”no, no, no it can’t be true” over and over and then he said Harry’s been stabbed. He’s dead.’
After receiving the devastating news, Mr Pitman and his wife Pearl, 69, raced across London to their son’s home to help comfort their family.
‘When we arrived, Neil was in tears and said he had been texting Harry to wish him happy new year and he said he had been confused as to why he couldn’t get hold of him,’ the grandfather told The Times.
Crowds on Primrose Hill stand and watch as fireworks go off in the distance on New Year’s Eve
The scene at Primrose Hill on New Year’s Day
Harry’s dinner was waiting for him, laid out on the table, with his mother unable to stop crying, repeatedly saying ‘he hasn’t had his dinner’.
Mr Pitman said he feels ‘numb’ from shock with all the family are ‘just walking around in a daze’.
The bereaved grandfather called for more to be done to stop knife crime in London. He told the paper ‘if you get caught with a knife it should be straight away, two years in prison – that’s it’.
Harry’s maternal grandfather Phillip Woolveridge paid tribute to the 16-year-old who ‘did not have a bad bone in his body’ and raised fears the teenage Tottenham fan was targeted for his 6ft3in height.
It came after a group of residents revealed it had written ‘frequently over the last couple of years’ to Royal Parks, which runs the site where the event was held, to warn that ‘such a tragedy’ could happen due to rising violence and anti-social behaviour.
The Primrose Hill Neighbourhood Watch posted this photo showing large numbers of people entering the park
Speaking outside his home in Tottenham, the 59-year-old blasted the out of control knife crime in the capital and demanded action from the authorities.
Mr Woolveridge said knife crime in London is ‘getting out of hand’ and revealed the families devastation at losing their ‘lovely boy’.
‘I don’t know what’s going to be done moving forward but I don’t want Harry’s passing to be in vain,’ he told ITV.
‘Something really has got to be done. It’s a terrible shame, its a terrible loss. The whole family are devastated, we cannot believe this.
‘I am very very angry. I just hope whoever has done this gets the most serious punishment they can get.’
According to an analysis by PA News Agency, 21 teenagers – including Harry – met violent deaths on the streets of London last year.
Of those killed, 18 were stabbed, two were shot, and one was killed when the moped they were riding was hit by a car.
Mr Woolveridge added: ‘He was finding his way in life finally – with all the confusion and a young boy growing up, but he was finally finding his way.
‘Just got his first little job. He was that sort of person who could deal with people.
‘He was growing up and he was finding his way and this is just such a terrible loss, it really is. He just had his future ahead of him.’
He told The Sun: ‘Moving forward is going to be a slow process. I just cannot believe he’s no longer here. I’m angry. I’m very angry.
‘We have got to rally around my daughter [Harry’s mum]. We are worried about her.’
Police officers conduct a fingertip search on Primrose Hill
A forensic team team arrived at the park to examine the crime scene
It comes as London’s Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman told the Standard that residents living close to Primrose Hill had written ‘frequently over the last couple of years warning of such a tragedy’ because of rising violence and anti-social behaviour.
Ms Waxman said some had even ‘hired a barrister to write a legal letter… as they believe Royal Parks [which is responsible for the site] have not kept the park secure’.
She said: ‘This was a senseless tragedy and my thoughts are with Harry’s family and loved ones.’
A Royal Parks spokesperson told the outlet: ‘The tragic stabbing of Harry Pitman on New Year’s Eve is being investigated by the police. The park remains closed during these investigations. Our thoughts are with Harry’s family and friends.
‘Primrose Hill has been open to the public for many years, and we work closely with the police to nsure that it is safely enjoyed by visitors.
‘On New Year’s Eve, the park was open until 1am for visitors to enjoy the celebrations, supported by a police presence, and The Royal Parks supplied stewards and tower lights.’
On Monday night Harry’s older sister Tayla, 19, and older brother, Patrick paid tribute to their ‘mischievous and cheeky’ Harry who ‘always stood up for what was right’.
The pair described their family’s utter heartbreak, with their mother unable to remove Harry’s dinner that he was supposed to eat when he returned home from the oven.
Fighting back tears, sister Tayla said from their terrace house in Tottenham, north London: ‘It doesn’t seem real, I keep on expecting him to come through the front door. 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 younger 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 most handsome boy you could ever meet.
‘I remember holding him in my arms for the first time when I was barely three years old. Now he won’t ever get to grow up.’
Harry was called ‘Errol’ by loved ones after a character on a children’s television show he liked.
Ambulances and police cars line up near an iron fence in Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve
Harry Pitman’s mother, Amanda Woolveridge, was seen being supported by members of her family at a vigil in Downhills Park last night
Around 100 people gathered at the park, which is close to Harry’s home in Tottenham, to pay their respects to him
Those in attendance shined the lights on their phones, with some singing Tottenham Hotspur songs in tribute to him
People gather in Downhills Park to pay their respects to Harry on Tuesday evening
‘He would never answer to Harry at home – just ‘Errol’ – it was mine, Harry and mum’s little joke,’ his sister added before calling for his killer to be brought to justice.
‘I hope whoever has done this knows they haven’t just taken a life, they’ve destroyed a whole family and community,’ Tayla said. ‘I hope that thought eats away at them for the rest of their life.’
Standing outside her family’s terraced home on a smart street, Tayla continued: ‘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.
‘That sometimes meant Harry got into fights but he would never use a knife, he wouldn’t dream of ever carrying any weapon. He wasn’t involved with any gangs whatsoever.
‘He was a tall boy, 6ft3, and so could look after himself. Although he didn’t have a girlfriend, he was a ladies’ man, always chatting up girls.
‘I was feeling down about spending New Year’s Eve on my own and I happened to look at my phone at 11.40pm, the exact time Harry was stabbed. I don’t know what made me look at my phone but an hour later, my brother Patrick called and told me Harry had gone.
‘I’m devastated, he was my baby brother. He didn’t even get to see the fireworks, which is why he went to Primrose Hill in the first place.’
Harry attended Wilbury Primary School in Edmonton and St Thomas More secondary school in Wood Green. He was a Catholic and was confirmed at the church of St John Vianney, Haringey, last Easter.
More recently, he harboured dreams of joining the army and joining the SAS.