Another British teenager fatally stabbed

A 16-year old boy has died after being attacked with a knife in London yesterday. It comes in the same week as a march held to remember another 16-year old, Ben Kinsella, stabbed and killed outside a London nightclub on Sunday.

But the tribute to Kinsella did not prevent yesterday’s stabbing of Shakilus Townsend, the 18th teenager to be killed in the capital this year, the 13th to be fatally stabbed.

Three teenagers, two males and a female, have appeared in court today charged with his murder. Young people are not the only victims. This week, in London alone, at least four adults have died of stab wounds.

The press is giving each new incident significant coverage and many members of the public, especially parents, are starting to worry.

The government has launched an ad campaign that aims to warn youngsters of the dangers of carrying a knife. A police crackdown in London has led to more than 1,200 people being arrested in the last six weeks.