Harry Pitman’s grandpa reveals he found out teen, 16, was killed 30 minutes after family shared Happy New Year messages
THE GRIEVING grandad of a teen who was stabbed to death says he was killed just 30 minutes after his family shared a ‘Happy New Year’ message.
Harry Pitman, 16, died on Primrose Hill in North London while tens of thousands of revellers were preparing to cheer in the New Year.
He was given CPR for ten minutes among crowds who had gathered on parkland to watch London’s 2024 fireworks display – but the 6ft 3in schoolboy could not be saved.
Now his grandad has described the moment he found out about his grandson’s death.
The 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’.”
The schoolboy had been waiting with pals to watch the fireworks when he was stabbed at 11.40pm on New Year’s Eve.
Police said he was involved in an altercation of “senseless violence” with “devastating consequences”.
A 16-year-old boy arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
It comes after Harry’s other grandad has described him as a “cheeky chappy” with “bright ginger hair he wore like a badge of honour”.
Speaking outside his home in Tottenham, Philip Woolveridge, 59, said: “I can’t express how devastated we are as a family.
“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.
It comes as…
- Harry Pitman ‘could have been targeted for being tall’, family says
- A teen, 16, has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of murder
- Harry’s mum ‘can’t bring herself to take dinner out of the oven’ as it sits waiting for him
- The schoolboy’s sister tearfully paid tribute to her ‘baby brother’
“Harry was a cheeky chappy, he would turn anything into a joke. He wouldn’t intentionally go out of his way to harm anyone, he would protect his mates.
“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.
“He was really funny. Growing up, we looked after the children for a while and he was like Velcro to me. He was a lovely child. He was a fun-loving child, always laughing and joking.
“Every New Year’s Eve is going to be a reminder of this now.”
It comes after Harry’s devastated siblings told of the family’s heartbreak.
His sister Tayla, 19, said his mother Amanda Woolveridge, 37, was so upset she could not remove from her oven the dinner she made Harry on the night he died.
Tayla, of Tottenham, North London, added: “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 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 the most handsome boy you could ever meet.
“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.”
Harry’s brother Patrick, 18, said his younger sibling was a huge Spurs fan.
A huge crowd had gathered on the 200ft- high vantage point — north of Regent’s Park — which overlooks the London Eye.
Harry was the 22nd teenager to be murdered in the capital in 2023.