Mark Prince has spoken on the twentieth anniversary of his son’s murder to lay out his vision of how to help the nation’s young people to achieve their potential as he recalls the day his son dad
The father of murdered teenage footballer Kiyan Prince has told of his desire to meet his son’s killer to help him start a new life.
Mark Prince was just days away from visiting Hannad Hasan in jail where he was serving a life sentence for fatally stabbing his son, 15, who played for Queens Park Rangers’ youth team. But the appointment was cancelled at the last minute by prison bosses and Hasan was last year extradited to his native Somalia.
Kiyan was fatally stabbed trying to break up a fight outside his north London school in May 2006. Since then, Mr Prince, a former WBO and IBF title holder, has dedicated his life to The Kiyan Prince Foundation, which guides young people through boxing.
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On the twentieth anniversary of his son’s murder, Mr Prince is launching a new campaign, The Champions’ Club, which calls for more investment in youth services across the country. Speaking to the Daily Mirror he said: “I was eager to meet the guy who killed my son which sounds strange to some people but to me it makes sense.
“We know the dangers because grief is so impactful it could leave you angry enough to want to hurt someone but I wasn’t that guy. I had processed my grief to the point I wanted to live out what I had taught my son. I taught my son about love and forgiveness, that he was made by a god of love.
“I didn’t realise I would be tested on that subject the way I was. I realised this was my challenge that I had to step up to so I stood up to it and I wanted to do it for my son to show him that everything I showed you in your life now I’m going to demonstrate what it looks like so you can see it even though you’re not here.
“I wanted to be a part of that restorative process for him. Maybe that could have been of some help to him. How powerful is that? That the person that hurt you the most is the person that you reach out to to help? I know it’s hard to understand but it’s too powerful a legacy to shy away from. Because I’m a fighter and I don’t shy away from tough fights, that’s just another tough fight for me and I’ll have the same attitude and I’ll step up.”
Based at the Tottenham Community Sports Centre in Haringey, North London, the KPF has positively impacted over 100,000 young people in England and Wales. Around 80% of those on its Inspiring Future Changes programme were motivated to make positive changes in their lives or to help others in theirs.
Mr Prince has also supported a string of parents including the mum and dad of Harry Pitman, 16, who was fatally stabbed as he waited to watch fireworks over the Thames last New Year’s Eve. He said when Kiyan died all he thought about was “revenge and anger” towards his murderer, who was then 16.
On hearing the news his son had died from a doctor, he punched through a hospital wall, leaving blood on the floor. Mr Prince said: “I’ve never had police trying to restrain me. This is the situation I found myself in. But nobody could restrain me, the rage and the anger that I felt in that moment of my son going and not being able to handle the news. Not being able to deal with the thoughts that came into my head on finding that out. It was a bit much.”
Mr Prince found a way to channel his experiences into supporting parents and young people to realise their potential and give them opportunities. And he is keen to emphasise the positive rather than talking about knife crime and violence.
Mr Prince said: “We’ve been focusing on the potential and futures of our young people, because that’s what they’re hearing. They’re hearing about them, that they have a voice, that there are people who care about them and want to create opportunities to help them to thrive.
“This is what makes KPF stand out and what makes Kiyan Prince’s legacy so powerful and I believe that the public want to back something like that. We have got to have prevention, there’s many disenfranchised people out there and society can help change that.”
In 2024, Mr Prince won the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, for his work supporting at-risk young people. Research carried out by the Kiyan Prince Foundation and Savanta to mark the 20th anniversary of his death revealed that less than half of young people in Britain feel optimistic about their futures
A poll of 1,016 16 to 24-year-olds found that 49% of respondents are confident about their futures, while three quarters said it is difficult to be a young person in the UK today. Fewer than two in five (37%) believe British young people are “winning” – defined as having the opportunity to achieve their life goals.
Mr Prince, has called on the Government to provide more support to young people who feel “held back by a society which sees them as the problem”. He said: “Through our new campaign, we’re calling for more investment into youth services and want to create our own space, carrying Kiyan’s name, that helps young people feel like winners again.”
In its list of policy asks to the Government, the Kiyan Prince Foundation said youth clubs are a “lifeline” for youngsters who need “structure, safety, community and belief”. The charity said: “Without consistent funding, young people are left to find belonging elsewhere and many turn to gangs. If we are serious about giving young people a chance to win, then we must properly fund the places that make winning possible.”
In August last year, Sir Keir Starmer announced an expansion of youth services which included the promise of £30.5 million to improve youth club infrastructure in areas with the highest levels of child poverty. It formed a package of measures designed to support children the Prime Minister warned are often “isolated in their bedrooms” and spending “much too much time on social media”.
To donate £20 to the Kiyan Prince Foundation and to support the call for more youth clubs in the UK, text CHAMPIONSCLUB to 70490. Text messages will cost the standard network rate plus the £20 donation.
