Ben Kinsella’s Murder
Ben Kinsella
Juress Kika, 19, Michael Alleyne, 18, and Jade Braithwaite, 20 murdered Ben Kinsella, 16, in an unprovoked attack. They followed him and his friends out of a bar in Islington, north London. They chased the group and cornered Ben Kinsella, who became separated from his friends. They stabbed him 11 times and left him dying.
Initially the Kinsella family campaigned against knife carrying, probably encouraged by the police, but after the three were convicted of murdering her son, Deborah Kinsella said
”We had brought Ben up to always walk away from trouble, this sadly cost him his life.
”He walked away to get safely home and they took advantage of that – he was one boy on his own.”
The sad thing is she is absolutely right, he wasn’t carrying a weapon, he ran away and he didn’t fight back because of the advice he had been given by his parents, and that advice cost him his life.
Jade Braithwaite, Michael Alleyne and Juress Kika
The Kinsella family are no doubt law abiding and good people; the problem is that Jade Braithwaite, Michael Alleyne and Juress Kika weren’t. They were all petty criminals, who had no moral qualms about stabbing to death an innocent 16-year old school boy. If this death teaches us anything it is that running away and not fighting back can get you killed.
Had Ben Kinsella been carrying a knife and taught to fight back there is a good chance he would be alive today. The problem with the current legislation is that it prohibits knife carrying for self-defence and that leaves law abiding citizens with no protection from vicious criminals like Jade Braithwaite, Michael Alleyne and Juress Kika, who do carry knives. The right to bear arms is paramount to the right to self-defence – one without the other is meaningless.
steph
amica
rob
@ CTR
Risk assessment and reduction (rather than avoidance) is as important as self-defence, but where one finishes the other begins. Self-defence begins when the threat is there, I agree that he shouldn’t have been out drinking at that time in the morning and he should have known his surroundings better but he did try avoidance: he ran but he was caught and killed.
Legal CCW does mean more legal ownership of handguns but not necessarily more illegal ownership of firearms, in fact carrying of handguns has dramatically increased in England after the handgun ban. I don’t know what the ratio of illegally carry to legal carry of firearms is in New York is but in London, Rome and Palermo it has to be excess of 9 to 1, and carrying isn’t uncommon.
I learned a long time ago to never argue with a lawyer, and I didn’t bring one of my own.
I will instead suggest that at least some weight be given to the “threat avoidance” part of the situation (which in my most humble opinion is the largest controllable factor contributing to the sad result).
I will also agree that, yes this kid would have had a much better chance at staying alive, if in that last alleyway he had a loaded handgun and the intent to use it. It is also worth mentioning, however, that legal concealed carry implies a larger availability of firearms. This would probably mean that one or more of the three aggressors would also be carrying.
I am not a proponent of gun control. I have had a CCW permit in two states (reciprocity with other states allows one to carry in many of the lower 48 with a permit issued from just one), I just don’t like to see guns or concealed carry’s as the end all be all of personal protection.
@ Rob
Very true, there is nothing immoral in killing in self-defence.
@ Kim
What Ben’s mother said, “We had brought Ben up to always walk away from trouble, this sadly cost him his life,” is true. In a perfect world, a boy like Ben wouldn’t be murdered by a bunch of evil thugs, but we don’t live in a perfect world. The right to bear arms, which most people in America support, isn’t thuggish, brutal, scumbag, lowlife behaviour. It is what decent people do to protect themselves from thuggish, brutal, scumbag, lowlife behaviour. In Italy I have the right to carry a firearm, would you call me a scumbag for exercising that right? If so what about the bodyguard, the carabiniere, the cop?
If you don’t believe the woman who has been raped or the old man who has been mugged have the right to carry a weapon that is your view but don’t accuse them of being thugs, scumbags or lowlifes because they’re decent people like Ben. I know because I’ve successfully defended decent people who have had to use weapons in self-defence.
@ CTR
Anyone who tells you that avoidance is the best form of self-defence is an idiot because self-defence is combat used by the citizen in close-quarter combat, as opposed to combat during war. This is what the phrase has meant for over 500 years. The other meaning of self-defence, which is derived from the first, is a defence in law for the use of force by the citizen in close-quarter combat. Self-defence does not mean situational awareness or avoidance, which is a fine, until you are attacked, then you need to rely on self-defence. Had Ben been armed, statistically he would have survived. Bans on the public carrying of weapons in England have always resulted in a rise in violent crime. Italy’s recent changes on the self-defence law in favour of the citizen have led to a decrease in violence.
Fundamentally, self-defense is not about being able to stab someone.
Self-defense is primarily about not being put in a position where you are going to get hurt.
Training this, training that…
If this kid had an understanding of situational awareness that’s where his “good chance” at staying alive would have come from. Much more so than in a three versus one knife fight.
The best part is, you can still be a “nice boy” and exercise situational awareness.
@ Kim
Course you’re related to Ben?
Ben is dead because he lost a knife fight. It don’t matter that he didn’t choose to be in it — he was in it. The family might have raised him to be a nice kid but they also raised him to be a mug and he’s dead because of it. If Ben had been carrying a blade and buried it into one of the fuckers he would be alive today. In my 8 years experience as a bodyguard and 5 years on the doors, I’ve found the ability to bury a blade or pull the trigger without hesitation is a virtue in a fight; being nice ain’t!
I am related to Ben, and have never heard such a load of rubbish in all my life, our family would never promote carrying any kind of weapon . Yes Ben was unarmed but that is not why he is dead, he is dead because three cowardly scumbags murdered him who knew armed or not that he did not stand a chance. Ben never would have carried a knife and never had a bad bone in his body so even if by some mad chance he did have a weapon he never would have used it, he was a good respectful boy, who cared enough about others that he would never have done anything in life to cause another family to go through what we are. Please do not take any quotes from Bens family and use them to your own end and do not associate Bens name with any thugish brutal skumbag lowlife behaviour its not what his life was about.
Very good post. I like it ,especially how it ties in with the previous run of self defense posts.
I’d echo the words of those that say the right to carry is a good thing. I’m a big proponent of the thinking that if more people were carrying there would be less crime. I know of communities that back that up. I’d pony up to the squemish that the thinking is the same as “Good Samaritan” laws etc. If everyone knew how to do CPR and were willing to do it there would be less dead people. Perhaps an extreme comparison but I like it.
Okay, that’s just wrong.
steph…
See, that’s why I agree with right to carry.
@ Rob – Exactly!
@ T
I think if everybody carried weapons there would be a lot less street attacks and robberies.
@ T
They already do and Chavs ain’t the problem and neither are 99.9% of the kids carrying knives.
Iv been reading up about this horrible story lately. The scary thing is , is that I have been in similar situations with lowlifes and see how things could have turned much worse. I credit the family for being civilised about applying justice properly, I don’t think I could have controlled myself. I heard somewhere they committed the stupid murder on a bigger gang’s turf, and this gang isn’t happy. They say they aren’t safe not even in prison, and if they can’t get to them , the gang give them the choice of their lives or their families’. I hope they get to the scumbags in prison, I really do. Its harsh, and easy to spew to on the internet, but how are street terrorists gonna learn otherwise.
And yes the police are ineffective, I was living in america until recently, and the police there demand much more respect. But I’m not convinced the right to bear arms is the answer, imagine every single chav carrying combat knives and god knows what else.
@ Richard
I doubt that they will spend any more than 15 years inside, which means the oldest will be no more than 35 when he is released. I don’t agree about the police force, they never have protected the public and never will. What we need is the right to bear arms.
@ Lucy
Would it have made any difference if he was 18? I doubt it.
looking at their mugshots makes me feel ill. they’ re trying to look hard and mean but they are cowards. life (which unfotunately they still have) will teach them a lesson. there is always someone bigger stronger and harder and im postive they will get bullied at some point in prison and hopefully it will lead to their deaths. as for watching the vid clip! disgusting,i hated looking. the reason this country is so broken is this labour government. i live in a rough area and never see the police other than nicking speeding cars,human life and standard of living has become almost worthless.money should be poured into the police force and they shouldn’t be almost apologetic for doing the right thing which is protecting the majority and not pandering to the minority.what human rights do these murdering thugs have? MORE than ben!!!
Ben’s death is absolutely tragic and should never have happened. Personally, I’m unhappy that ANY of my taxes has to go towards keeping his murderers fed and warm in prison! – However – someone somewhere has to answer the question as to why a 16 year old boy was out in London at a bar at 2am in the morning…
My 16 year old has a home deadline of 7pm…