Harry Potter actor murdered outside bar during knife fight

Publish date: 2024-05-13

Rob Knox, one of the actors in the upcoming film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was murdered Saturday morning outside a bar in Southeast London. Knox plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby and also appeared in 2004’s King Aurthur. He was stabbed while trying to defend his younger brother Jamie from a 21-year-old man wielding two kitchen knives.

Robert Knox, an 18-year-old actor set to appear in the next Harry Potter film, was fatally stabbed outside a London pub on Saturday. According to British media reports, the actor was part of a brawl that sent five males to the hospital, including a 21-year-old who was arrested on suspicion of murder after being treated for facial injuries.

Knox, who appeared in the 2004 film King Arthur, plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the penultimate film in the series. The film is scheduled for release later this year. He had also been signed for the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

“Rob was kind and thoughtful and would always help out others—he would always spend his last penny on other people instead of himself,” parents Sally and Colin Knox said in a statement Sunday.

“The life and soul of the party, he was very outgoing, loved sports, and would always strike up a conversation with people. He was respectful to others and adored by all his family and friends. He was [an] asset to the family.”

[From E! News]

Nicky Jonas, 19, was one of the other teenagers who was stabbed (through the hand) by the man. He described what happened to the Mirror.

“I saw the guy with two kitchen knives. He looked me straight in the eye before walking over to Rob to say ‘You’re lucky – it’s not your day.’ Then he went up to Jamie and said ‘I’m going to slit your throat’. That’s when Rob stepped in to stick up for his brother.

“Then the man started waving the knives like a madman, stabbing and slashing anyone who got in the way.” Dean Saunders, 21, who ran to Rob’s aid, was stabbed in the back and neck. He is in hospital.

Andrew Dorma, 16, was stabbed in the chest while Charlie Grimley, 17, was slashed across the arm and face.

As Rob lay bleeding on the ground Tom Hopkins, 18, bravely wrestled the knifeman to the floor, suffering a gash to the back of his head.

[From the Mirror]

According to TMZ, the fight started over a missing cell phone. Knox is the 14th teenager to die from knife violence in London since the start of the year. It’s brought a good deal of attention to the violent epidemic, and has caused his father Colin to issue a statement begging teenagers not to carry or use weapons. “If you are a person who carries a knife, think about the consequences. If you carry a knife there’s the intention to use it, so please don’t do that.”

Header image is an undated photo courtesy of Britain’s Metropolitan Police, of Robert Knox, right, with his mother Sally and 17-year old brother Jamie.

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