The scene on Primrose Hill on Tuesday evening

A MURDER investigation has been launched after a 21-year-old man was fatally stabbed at the top of Primrose Hill on Tuesday evening.

Police continued to appeal to the public for information yesterday (Wednesday) as they named the victim as Finbar Sullivan.

Hundreds of people had been watching the sunset from the park when police and ambulances were called to reports of a fight on the hill at 6.41pm on Tuesday.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, Mr Sullivan died at the scene.

Another man, also suffering with stab wounds and thought to be in his 20s, ran out of the park into the Queen’s Pub before being taken to hospital, where his injuries were found to be neither life-threatening nor life-changing.

A police cordon remained in place around the entirety of Primrose Hill throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday, and forensics teams were seen examining blood spatters on the high street yesterday afternoon.

No arrests had been made by the time the New Journal went to print last night.

It is the fourth murder inquiry to be opened in Camden since the start of the year – although none of them are linked.

Detective Inspector Andy Griffin, who is leading the police investigation, said: “Finbar’s family have suffered a devastating loss and our thoughts are with them as they navigate this very challenging time.

“Our investigation is progressing at pace and we are following several lines of inquiry. This incident occurred in a busy, public park and there may be many witnesses who can help us piece together what happened.”

Finbar Sullivan

Footage circulating on social media shows a knife fight break out on the hilltop, with one man lunging towards another brandishing a knife as onlookers back away.

Although she did not witness the stabbing itself, Donna Balbini was in Primrose Hill with friends when she saw the ambulances and police cars driving into the park, “We had just thought: the sun’s out, let’s get some food and go to the park,” she said.

“Everyone was doing the same thing. There were lots of teenagers and families around, it was all normal.

“It was getting cold so we got up and went for a walk, and when we went over the hill we saw the paramedics doing CPR and a lot of people standing around.

“We thought someone had had a heart attack or something, but one of the teenagers said there had been a stabbing.

“You’re thinking, ‘come on, please make it’. They put in so much work to try and save him. That’s someone’s child. Some mum and dad are getting a call tonight – what a horrible feeling.”

Primrose Hill residents and business owners told of their concerns about a lack of police presence and street-lamp outages in the park.

Last November, in a bid to plug a £260million funding hole, the Met said it was saving £6million by disbanding a specialist unit of officers which patrolled the Royal Parks, including Primrose Hill – a move that campaigners called “reckless” and “absurd”.

After a long-running public debate about a clash between safety and the freedom to enjoy the scenic park at all hours, gates were also installed in Primrose Hill last April.

This followed residents’ complaints about noise disturbance late at night, and the park is now closed from 10pm to 6am on summer weekends.

The closures would not have covered the time of the day when Mr Sullivan was stabbed.

But Mark Elliott, chair of the Friends of Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, told the New Journal that incidents like this week’s death “might justify the decision by the Royal Parks to close the hill on very busy occasions”.

Primrose Hill was once a popular New Year’s Eve destination for watching fireworks, but it has been closed for the occasion since the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Harry Pitman shortly before midnight at the end of 2023.

Mr Elliott added: “A lot of residents don’t like that, but this probably says it is a more dangerous place than many of us realise.”

Daniel Baxter, who has lived near the park for nearly 30 years, told the New Journal: “There is no police presence on the hill anymore, and on the west side of the park, none of the lights work at all – it’s pitch black.

“I know [Tuesday] was a sunny evening, but the lack of police and the fact the lighting doesn’t work encourages a feeling that it is a total free for all and you can do what you like. That’s the charm of it up to a point, until people start stabbing each other.”

Another Primrose Hill resident, who did not wish to be named, told how the park was “rammed” with people on Tuesday, as it always is at the first sign of the weather warming up.

She said: “A lot of us round here feel there needs to be better management of the park.

“I think it’s time for the Royal Parks to have a long hard look at the security and safety of the public when they are amassing in great crowds in the park. They leave everything to the police which is not realistic when the police are so stretched. They haven’t even got a camera to see how many people are there. You can’t have 60 acres of open space where there isn’t any kind of law and order, and nobody seems to feel its their responsibility.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Our Royal Parks officers have been integrated into local community crime fighting teams. In Camden, a dedicated local neighbour­hood team regularly patrol Primrose Hill and surrounding areas.

“We understand the concern this incident has caused the local community and have increased the number of officers on patrol in the park to reassure and deal with any offending.”

A spokesperson for the Royal Parks said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident at Primrose Hill last night, and our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones at this time.

“We will continue to work with the Met police to support their investigation.”

Camden Council leader Councillor Richard Olszewski issued his second message of condolences in almost as many weeks.

He said: “It is desperately sad and tragic that this young man has died in these circumstances. All our thoughts are with his family and friends grieving his loss.”

Police are trying to piece together the sequence of events which led to Mr Sullivan being stabbed, and have begun frame by frame analysis of mobile footage.

Hundreds of potential witnesses would have been in the park and officers are urging anybody who saw or heard anything, or have any relevant footage, to contact them.

You can contact police on 101, quoting reference CAD 6448/07Apr.

An anonymous report can be made via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.