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| Mourners wear fancy dress for Ben | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Friends of stab victim Ben Kinsella celebrated his life by turning up to his funeral wearing fancy dress. | Friends of stab victim Ben Kinsella celebrated his life by turning up to his funeral wearing fancy dress. |
| Many people wore colourful wigs and large sunglasses as they paid their last respects to Ben, 16, who was stabbed in north London last month. | |
| Others attending the service at St John's the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Islington, north London, wore T-shirts bearing anti-knife slogans. | Others attending the service at St John's the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Islington, north London, wore T-shirts bearing anti-knife slogans. |
| About 1,000 people, including the local MP and TV actors, attended the service. | |
| Ben's sister, former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, 24, said: "Please, please let us learn from Ben and every other child that has been stolen from us." | |
| Ben's close friend Brooke Dunford, 16, said: "He wouldn't have wanted everyone to wear black." | |
| 'Saddest day' | |
| Miss Dunford was among the first to arrive for the funeral which was followed by a private ceremony at St Pancras and Islington Cemetery. | |
| Outside the church she laid a bunch of flowers with a note which read: "The most saddest day of my life, Ben, when I lost you. | Outside the church she laid a bunch of flowers with a note which read: "The most saddest day of my life, Ben, when I lost you. |
| I'm not scared any more. There's no weight on my shoulders, no struggle A line from Ben's poem | |
| "I will hold you in my heart forever, I love you, you hottie." | "I will hold you in my heart forever, I love you, you hottie." |
| Former EastEnders actresses Gillian Taylforth and Michelle Ryan, MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn and Camilla Taylor's father, Richard, were among those present at the funeral. | |
| Mourners heard a poem written by Ben and a letter addressed to him by his mother after his death. | |
| A verse from his poem read: "So what comes next for me? God knows. I don't. | |
| "This is my home now and I've never felt better. | |
| "I'm not scared any more. There's no weight on my shoulders, no struggle. | |
| "Let's just see what a future here brings. But at the moment, this is living. Not death." | |
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| Funeral for Ben Kinsella held | |
| One of Ben's favourite songs, "The Girls" by Calvin Harris, was played at the service. | |
| Ben was stabbed several times when a fight spilled out of a pub into York Way on 29 June. | Ben was stabbed several times when a fight spilled out of a pub into York Way on 29 June. |
| Juries Kika and Michael Allende, both 18, and Jade Braithwaite, 19, are due to appear at the Old Bailey in October charged with Ben's murder. | |
| Ben was the 17th teenager to die in violent circumstances in London this year. | Ben was the 17th teenager to die in violent circumstances in London this year. |
| Earlier this month up to 400 protesters marched in Upper Street, Islington, to the scene of the killing to demand an end to knife crime. | Earlier this month up to 400 protesters marched in Upper Street, Islington, to the scene of the killing to demand an end to knife crime. |