Latest teenage knife victim named

1:03pm Friday 4th July 2008

A 16-year-old boy who died after he was stabbed in the street in south London has been named by police as Shakilus Townsend.

He suffered multiple injuries when he was attacked in Beulah Crescent, Thornton Heath, just before 2pm on Thursday. He died in hospital overnight.

Shakilus is the 18th teenage victim of London's knife crime crisis this year. His murder is believed to be gang-related.

He was attacked four days after 16-year-old Ben Kinsella, the brother of former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella, was knifed to death in Islington, north London. Three teenagers are appearing in court charged with Ben's murder.

Later the same day, the bodies of French students Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, both 23, were found riddled with knife wounds after a flat fire in New Cross, south east London.

Tunisian national Hamouda Bessaad, 34, was stabbed to death on Old Kent Road, south east London, on Monday, while Dee Willis, 28, died after a knife attack in Peckham a day later.

Earlier this week Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair and mayor Boris Johnson pledged to continue the struggle to persuade youngsters to stop carrying weapons.

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