Karl Bishop guilty of killing Harry Potter actor Robert Knox
From The Times online (UK)
March 5, 2009
The parents of Robert Knox, the Harry Potter film actor, spoke yesterday of the scar that knife crime had left on their family after a "habitual knife-carrier" was convicted of murdering their son.
Karl Bishop, 22, had armed himself with two kitchen knives to confront Mr Knox, 18, and his friends outside a bar in Sidcup, southeast London, last May. He is facing life in jail after being found guilty of murdering the young actor and attacking four of his friends.
Mr Knox's parents, Sally and Colin, broke down in tears as the trial ended at the Old Bailey. Mrs Knox, 50, said: "As a mother and parent I can never forgive the person responsible for taking my son Robert's life, or the devastation that has been caused by these actions."
Robert Knox had been cast as Marcus Belby in the forthcoming film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and was due to reprise the role in the next instalment. His mother recalled how, on the night that her son died, he had been looking forward to going out. "How I wish Robert had popped his head around the door to say goodbye. If only I could turn back the clock, give him one more hug, take one more look at his face, tell him how much I love him," she said.
Mrs Knox, who has set up a foundation in her son's name, vowed to raise awareness of knife crime so that he "did not die in vain". She said: "I really wish that no other family have to suffer and endure the loss of a loved one, at the hands of someone with a knife."
Colin Knox, 55, who is separated from his wife, also spoke movingly of the life and career that Bishop had cut short. He said: "When a life is taken by a violent act, then that is so very hard to accept. Robert had been fortunate and successful in his acting career. When he got the part of Marcus Belby he was so excited, happy and proud."
Bishop refused to leave his cell to hear the proceedings yesterday.
It emerged that the unemployed window cleaner, who had been expelled from primary school and already had a criminal record for causing actual bodily harm, had been reported to the police in the months before the attack for two attempted robberies at knifepoint. Bishop had described himself as a "very angry" child.
He was said to have been furious with Robert Knox, a 6ft rugby player, after he had stood up to him a week earlier over a missing mobile phone. Bishop told the group: "I'm going to come back next week and someone's going to die."
When he visited the Metro bar in Sidcup he was initially refused entry. He went home, arming himself with two kitchen knives, 11in and 12in long, and returned to the bar. Bystanders saw Bishop's face "screwed up in rage" as he lashed out with the knives, stabbing his victims at least ten times in less than two minutes.
A police officer said that after his arrest he showed no remorse, saying: "Yeah, sweet" when told that Mr Knox had died. He rejected responsibility, claiming instead that the victims had run into his knife.
Bishop was also found guilty of wounding Dean Saunders, 23, a friend of Robert Knox, and of wounding Andrew Dormer, 17. He was found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to Charlie Grimley, 17, and Nicky Jones, 20. He was cleared of wounding another of Mr Knox's friends, Tom Hopkins, 19. He will be sentenced today.
It doesn't come out until the 15th of July in France. I know it's not long after US, but it's so unfair!! We waited so long for this movie!
