FRIENDS OF BEN'S KILLERS SPAT ON US AND CALLED US 'SCUM'

Brooke Kinsella's harrowing new book reveals her pain over brother's murder

MURDERED: Ben

FAMILY: Brooke with Ben

DEADLY HAUL: Brooke sees seized weapons

By Douglas Wight, 23/08/2009

ACTESS Brooke Kinsella has told for the first time of the vile thuggery and intimidation she suffered AFTER her teenage brother Ben was stabbed to death.

The former EastEnders star revealed she and her family faced a barrage of threats, jeers and physical abuse at COURT from the killers' families and friends.

They were spat on, called "scum" and even held by the throat against a wall. And one callous thug even sneered: "So what? He's dead anyway."

Brooke, 26, tells of the court ordeal in her harrowing new book, Why Ben? In it she also reveals she slipped into such a black depression she feared she would take her own life.

Ben, 16, was murdered in June last year. One year on, his killers - Jade Braithwaite, 20, Michael Alleyne, 18 and Juress Kika, 19 - faced trial and were eventually jailed for 19 years.

But Brooke (pictured above) reveals: "I didn't expect the intimidation, the violence and the pure nastiness that certain members of their families put us through.

"Bad enough to change your story for your relation - that, at a very big push, I could understand.

"But to physically attack my friends and family, to spit on them and call them 'scum' and other disgusting names, to sing 'who let the dogs out' as we walked by . . .

"And then for one of them to have the audacity to tell my dad to 'walk away and have respect' ouside the court - this I could never, ever understand.

"Their behaviour was despicable. My family had done nothing to them - it was THEIR relations who had taken something so precious from US.

"But rather than try to get through this with even an ounce of the dignity my family had shown, they decided to show their true nature."

She added: "We tried not to let it get to us, we tried to laugh it off, but our anger was building."

Brooke and her family comoplained about the abuse to court officials. But, despite repeated warnings, the thugs carried on regardless.

She says: "Every day they were back in the public gallery, back outside the court, following and threatening us.

"It came to a head the day one of them apparently said about my brother, 'So what? He's dead anyway'. This was said to one of Ben's best friends.

"When the friend lost his temper and began swearing and shouting back, a male relation of theirs grabbed him by the throat and threw him against the wall."

"We were going through enough, having to listen to every detail of Ben's wounds.

"But when we came out at lunch to get away from it all and were faced with this awful bullying and aggression, it was too much."

One of the killers' friends apparently said, 'So what? He's dead anyway'

Brooke - praised for her involvement in the News of the World's Save Our Streets campaign - steeled herself to be strong when she went to court.

She knew it was no place for emotions and that she and her family would hear some horrifying testimony about her brother's final moments. The actress had to watch recordings of the brutal attack on Ben on CCTV and to hear details of an autopsy report telling of his knife wounds.

She was not surprised by the shameless lying of some of the defendants' witnesses. Alleyne's family changed their stories in court and lied about being asked to dispose of his jeans splattered with Ben's blood.

Mercifully, the jury convicted Kika, Braithwaite and Alleyne of Ben's murder.

The three viciously attacked and stabbed him on June 29 in an unprovoked attack after a fight at Shillibeers bar in Islington, North London.

Brooke reveals her own guilt at switching her phone to silent on the night her brother died.

Tired after starring in a play in Hackney, she had gone straight to bed. She writes: "The guilt I feel at what I did will never, ever leave me. There it is - my shameful secret and the reason I partly blame myself for my brother's death."

Brooke - Kelly Taylor in EastEnders - says she reacted badly to Ben's death, "getting drunk and lying in bed".

But she resolved to turn his death into something positive.

Knife

She campaigned for tougher laws on knife crime. And a turning point was taking part in the News of the World's own Save Our Streets campaign.

She got to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown. And her work opened her eyes to the social problems that caused people to carry knives.

Then, as the trial approached, she descended into personal despair once more.

At one point, she cracked and tried to lock herself in a bathroom with a knife.

null

Boyfriend Ray Panthaki, who played Ronny Ferreira in EastEnders, calmed her down and she bravely prepared for the ordeal of the trial.

One bright moment as she waited for justice came when Brooke and her family - along with families of other youngers killed by knife crime - were given a special News of the World Childrens' Champions award.

She said: That takes pride of place in out living room and we cherish it - it's a symbol of the support and love given to us by everybody out there.

* Extracted from Why Ben? A Sister's Story of Heartbreak and Love for the Brother She Lost, by Brooke Kinsella, published by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd on September 7th at £7.99 © Brooke Kinsella, 2009. To buy it for £7.59 (with free P&P) call 0845 271 2137 or visit notwbookshop.co.uk

Visit our Save Our Streets section

Your comments

This article has 9 comments

What an unbelievable story , how could the Court do nothing about the Harrasment and heckling in and out of the Court, had they ne respect for the Kinsella's? That is just unbelievable, but what was a sixteen year old doing out at that time and at the pub? Why don't parents realize its not a nice world and only a very small number of people are nice and they need to be protected like any rare item. You cant let the nice kids out alone with the types that roam around at pubs and so on . Bring back prohibition I SAY AND GET THE DRUGS OUT OF THE CHEMISTS AND OFF THE STREETS AND BAN CIGARETTES,AND ALL THE OTHER CRAP AS WELL LIKE VIOLENCE ON THE TELE AND VIDEO GAMES AND PC AND ALL THAT NEGATIVE STUFF. bRING IN HEALTHY FOODS,FITNESS, AND SEX AND HUMOUR AND GOOD TIMES.

By ERIK. Posted August 27 2009 at 9:57 AM.

I think its just disgraceful. I lost someone close to me a few years ago through knife crime and hearing that hit home. What the kinsella family had to go throw to get justice for a member of there family that they chereshed. We also got juistice for what happened but when it comes down to it they dont get enough. They still get to live there life inside and when they get out. They get to go with there lives while we are only left with a grave. They are the lowest of the low. Brooke and her family are some of a few people that fight for jusitce and not care what u go through to get it.. We also fought and got it . But it was different circumstances.. The system should stop this from happening why should they suffer while getting what they only deserve . Its amazing on what they would do if the shoe was on the other they would accept the full treatment ... Keep doing what your doing Brooke....

By cat. Posted August 26 2009 at 4:37 PM.

Why the hell did the police not do enough to stop the intimidation and threats? That is disgraceful. I know Brooke will never get over the loss of her brother, but I hope she finds the strength to move on with her own life.

By Kelly. Posted August 23 2009 at 5:13 PM.

I find it absolutely disgusting that the Kinsella family have been treated like this. If the boot was on the other foot, they would be doing exactly the same thing, wanting justice for thier loved one.

I hope in time to come all the efforts of all the families involved in trying to eradicate knife/gun crime, will be worth some thing!!

By gillian. Posted August 23 2009 at 2:40 PM.

And this is what we've imported, thanks a lot Lab/Con Government!

By Jackie. Posted August 23 2009 at 2:06 PM.

Those boys need to rot in prison for what they did. im a critical care nurse and see young boys come in with stab wounds every single week. and over what? those families should be ashamed of themselves how can they even start to justify what they did to that boy and his family!
i completely agree with everything SickOfItAll just said and i think his name sums it all up. It must stop NOW and i think the work that brooke has done is amazing and an inspiration your brother must be so proud PLEASE dont give up!

By Sarah. Posted August 23 2009 at 10:27 AM.

I have never seen you act Brooke, and I never watch Eastenders, but I can tell that you are a very brave girl and I salute you and your loving family. Yiu deserve the respect of everyone in this country of ours. Keep up the superb campaign you started

By Keith Price. Posted August 23 2009 at 2:56 AM.

Is it any surprise that the killers are pieces of
execrement, when their families behave the
same way?

And is it any surprise that the authorities did
nothing about the intimidation against Brooke
Kinsella when she complained to them? Typical
of the laughable 'justice' system in this country.
They're only concerned about the rights of
criminal scumbags.

By SickOfItAll. Posted August 23 2009 at 2:03 AM.

Brooke is a really beautiful girl and I hope that she finds the peace that she is looking for.

By Ed. Posted August 22 2009 at 9:32 PM.

We have to check every comment before we can allow it to be published. But don't worry, we've got a team on it 24/7 - so check back soon! Please note that we cannot publish all comments received. The editor's decision is final. Please note that your email address will not be displayed next to your comment.