Kiyan Prince

Kiyan Prince
Born	(1991-11-25)25 November 1991
Died	18 May 2006(2006-05-18) (aged 15) Edgware, Barnet, London, England
Cause of death	Stabbing
Nationality	English
Education	London Academy

Kiyan Prince (25 November 1990 – 18 May 2006)^[1] was a 15-year-old British boy who attended the London Academy in Edgware, in the London borough of Barnet. He was fatally stabbed on 18 May 2006, receiving a single lethal knife wound, while intervening to prevent the bullying of another boy. Described as "an outstanding and upstanding boy", Kiyan was a prodigious footballing talent, and represented the Queens Park Rangers youth football team.^[2]

Murder

According to the Metropolitan Police, Kiyan Prince was involved in an altercation with another boy shortly before the stabbing. Kiyan was found at 1535 BST by a sergeant from a local "Safer Neighbourhood" team, and he was transferred to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being pronounced dead two hours later.

Response

The then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, in response to the killing, said that he would discuss imposing maximum imprisonment sentences for those who carry knives with the Home Secretary and the Lord Chancellor. In addition to this, a Violent Crime Reduction Bill was formulated, that increased the age at which a person can purchase a knife from 16 to 18.^[3] The bill was passed into law in 2006.

A 16-year-old youth was charged with Prince's murder on 20 May 2006 and remanded in custody. The conviction of Hannad Hasan for the murder of Kiyan Prince was reported on 2 July 2007. Hasan claimed that he carried the large pocket knife "like a toy". It was not revealed to the jury that a few days prior to stabbing Kiyan, he had used the knife to threaten a schoolgirl on a bus over a seat.

The Kiyan Prince Foundation

Spurred by this personal tragedy, Kiyan’s father, former boxer (and ex-International IBF and WBO Champion) Mark Prince, founded the Kiyan Prince Foundation (KPF) in early 2007. It is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to using Kiyan's legacy to combat knife crime and other forms of youth violence. Its mission is to:

"work with young people to increase awareness and address the consequences of gun and knife crime through education. It aims to empower young people by promoting a sense of belonging, self-worth and purpose that can be found outside of gang culture and offending behaviour through providing access to diversionary and preventative activities".^[4]

Football career

Kiyan Prince

Prince playing for QPR's youth team
Personal information
Full name	Kiyan Prince
Date of birth	(1990-11-25)November 25, 1990
Date of death	18 May 2006(2006-05-18) (aged 15)
Place of death	Edgware, Barnet, London, England
Youth career
Years	Team
2004–2006	Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers signed him as a youth player in 2004.

He was described as a prodigious talent, and was to collect an award shortly after his death for his talents.^[2]

The club paid tribute to Prince, whom they signed in 2004, and later revealed they planned to sign as a professional. The first team coach at the time, Gary Waddock, said: "The whole club is mourning the loss of one of our own. We are all devastated. Kiyan was certainly one for the future, talented lad who wanted to forge a career in football."^[2]

In memory of Kiyan, QPR have made an award called the "Kiyan Prince Goal of the Season", which is awarded to the player who scores QPR's best goal of the season.

In the next year, another QPR player died, although from the first team. In June 2007, 18-year-old striker and first team regular Ray Jones died in a car crash in East Ham, London when his car collided with a bus. Two others were also killed in the accident, with Jones driving the car. It was later revealed that Jones would have been charged for dangerous driving, had he not died in the accident.

References

External links

• "A torrent of grief for Kiyan, the boy with a heart of gold", Daily Telegraph, 20 May 2006
• "The Kiyan Prince Foundation"