Teen becomes 18th victim

2008-07-04 14:00

London - A 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in south London has died of his injuries, police said on Friday, taking the number of teenagers killed by knives in the British capital this year to 18.

The youth, whose identity has not yet been released, was critically injured on Thursday afternoon. The 17th victim, also a 16-year-old boy, was fatally stabbed in north London early on Sunday.

Three teenagers - two aged 18 and a third aged 19 - are due in court later on Friday charged with the murder last weekend.

The rising death toll and an apparently growing knife culture among children and young people in London is causing increasing concern, despite police assurances that violent crime is falling in the capital.

London Mayor Boris Johnson and Metropolitan Police chief Ian Blair have vowed to tackle the problem, while the government is pumping money into advertising campaigns and initiatives to curb the use of knives.

- AFP