A teenager has been convicted of murdering 16-year-old Harry Pitman during New Year's Eve celebrations in Primrose Hill, central London, two years ago. Areece Lloyd-Hall, now 18, stabbed Pitman in the neck after a brief altercation between the two strangers at a midnight gathering to watch the city’s fireworks display.
The jury at the Old Bailey returned an 11-1 majority verdict on Wednesday after eight hours of deliberation. Lloyd-Hall had denied murder, claiming he did not intend to kill Pitman and believed he had struck him with the sheath of his knife. Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC described how “revelry turned to tragedy in the blink of an eye”.
The court heard that the two boys were with separate groups of friends on 31 December 2023. About 20 minutes before midnight, Pitman bumped into one of Lloyd-Hall’s friends while playfighting and kicking. A confrontation escalated, and mobile phone footage showed Lloyd-Hall pulling a knife from his waistband and swinging it down onto Pitman’s neck.
Police bodycam footage captured Pitman stumbling through the crowd, holding his neck and seeking help from officers. He collapsed and died just before midnight despite first aid. Lloyd-Hall fled the scene but later handed himself in at a police station with his father.
In a statement, Detective Inspector Daniel Catmull of the Met’s specialist crime command said: “Harry was only 16 years old when he was stabbed. He had spent the evening with friends enjoying the fireworks before an altercation with a complete stranger led to him tragically losing his life.” Pitman was one of 18 teenagers stabbed to death in London in 2023. Sentencing is set for 10 November.
