Ben with mum Deborah

YESTERDAY (Thursday) marked 15 years since 16-year-old Ben Kinsella was murdered while out celebrating the end of his GCSEs in an unprovoked attack.

His taxi driver father, George Kinsella, speaking to the Tribune this week, said the intervening years have been hard without Ben who, just months before his death in 2008 had written to then-prime minister Gordon Brown warning him to act over knife crime.

“It’s been like I’ve lost a piece of my heart,” George said. “My family’s lost a piece of their hearts. It’s something that never goes away. You just learn to deal with it a little bit better. But there’s still good days and bad days.”

Ben with dad George

He said he and his wife, Deborah, planned to be at Ben’s graveside for the anniversary with a bouquet of handmade flowers.

“After 15 years, I know that my family still think about him daily,” he added. “He is truly missed by all of us. There’s a huge hole in our family that will never be filled – he is always in our thoughts. And we love him very much and miss him awfully.”

In a poignant twist that made the day bittersweet for the family, he said, they would be celebrating the first birthday of his grandson Ben, named after his uncle by Ben’s sister, EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella.

Ben with his dad and sister Brooke

“What are the odds of that happening?” Mr Kinsella asked. “[Baby] Ben was born on the day [our son] passed away, so, you know, obviously it’s a sad day but now we’ve got another grandson and it’s his first birthday so those things help us.”

Reflecting on a feeling his daughter and wife share that baby Ben arriving on that day was a message from Ben, he said: “We do feel sometimes that he does send us messages now and again in one way or another, when our grandchildren act the same way as Ben used to, or they say something or do something, so we’ve got reminders that he’s still around us.”

Speaking to TV presenter Lorraine Kelly earlier this week, Brooke said: “I truly believe it was Big Ben sending me Little Ben to make a really tough day a little bit better, because I can’t now just lie in bed or be sad.

“I called my mum as soon as I found that he had to come that date, and she said, ‘Brooke, it’s a sign’.”

Brooke with her son Ben

The family have arranged to see each other tomorrow (Saturday) to celebrate baby Ben’s birthday together.

Life has gone on without Ben, said Mr Kinsella, but his absence has transformed everyday events into something painful at times, including seeing Ben’s friends move on with their lives.

“It’s difficult for them [seeing us] and it’s difficult for us,” he said.

“Some of them are married with children now. We’re very happy for his friends that got married and have children, but it reminds you that could have been our Ben.”

However, he wanted to say a “huge thank you” to Ben’s childhood friend singer Louis Dunford, who held Ben in his arms as he lay dying following the attack in North Road, for raising £10,000 for the Ben Kinsella Trust through the sale of T-shirts at his concerts.

Ben’s death led to an outpouring of grief and a march through Islington.

His father praised the success of the Ben Kinsella Trust, a charity which campaigns against knife crime, and highlighted how more than 30,000 children have visited its permanent exhibitions in King’s Cross, east London and Nottingham.

An extract from Ben’s letter to Gordon Brown

Mr Kinsella said: “Has it achieved anything? I’d like to think so. You know, if we’ve stopped one child from doing something where another kid has lost their life or been seriously injured, then I’d feel as if we’ve done something.

“I’m sure with the amount of kids we’ve seen, I’d hope the vast majority of them will never, ever want to pick up a knife or would stop somebody else from doing so.”

He acknowledged it was an uphill battle. Last year in London alone there were 12,000 knife crime incidents.

He called out short-term government policies that drive knife crime figures down temporarily but “leave us back where we started” within six months.

Instead, five to 10 years of ring-fenced funding was needed, he argued, echoing views held by long-term youth worker Stephen Griffith at the Copenhagen Youth Project who, in an interview with this newspaper last month, called for a joined-up plan backed up with proper funding.