England footballer Jermain Defoe said today that he was ‘shocked and saddened’ after his cousin was stabbed to death.
It is understood Allan Edgar, who was 78, was knifed in the neck during a robbery at his home in St Lucia, where Defoe’s family is from.
Just two-and-a-half years ago, the Tottenham Hotspur striker’s half-brother was also killed in a violent street attack in east London.
Defoe told the Press Association: ‘I am shocked and saddened by the tragic news of my cousin’s murder in the close-knit town which my family is from in St Lucia.
‘I want to again highlight the desperate need for us to pull together – the world over – to tackle knife crime and teach everyone how sacred a life is.’
His mother, Sandra St Helen, from Chigwell, Essex, said: ‘It was a very close relative. I was with my cousin a couple of months ago. We are a big family.’
Mr Edgar was the 29-year-old footballer’s first cousin twice removed. According to the Daily Star he walked in on two thieves after an evening at a nearby bar.
Mr Edgar’s death not the first time that violence has led to a tragedy in the Defoe family. His half-brother, Jade, 26, was killed in a street attack in April 2009.
He died from head injuries four days after being attacked in Leytonstone, east London.
In February last year 34-year-old Christopher Farley was jailed for three years in connection with the death after admitting throwing the punch which landed Jade in hospital.
Defoe has been vocal in his opposition to street violence and has campaigned for an end to the knife crime wave affecting youngsters in many of the UK’s metropolitan areas.
Speaking to LBC at the launch of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation today he told how he had tried to dissuade teenagers in Woodford, east London, from joining in the riots that rocked London over the summer.
‘I understand it is difficult for them. When you are coming from East London, I could have been like that where I could have gone down the wrong path and just followed my mates.
‘But I always say you have got to be an individual. You shouldn’t just follow your mates all the time.
‘You might get a bit of stick and people might take the mick, but, at the end of the day, you have got to be strong and think about yourself and think about your future.’
As a footballer, Defoe has also been making noise about his own future in recent months. Last week he warned Spurs boss Harry Redknapp to play him or let him leave next month.
The striker has spent a large portion of this season on the bench, with Redknapp preferring the combination of Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafa van der Vaart up front.
Nevertheless, Defoe has scored nine goals and feels he warrants a regular starting role.
And Defoe has warned Redknapp he is not prepared to sit on the bench for much longer — particularly with Euro 2012 round the corner.
He said: ‘I think it is well documented that I have been in the team, scored goals, and then been taken out of the team. Why, I don’t know.
‘It is hard to explain the feeling when you are starting games, scoring, the team are winning and you are not playing in the next game.
‘I need to play football, it’s as simple as that. There is a tournament in the summer. I did a lot of work last summer to get to this position and I am not going to waste it by sitting on the bench when I know I should be playing.
‘If I was 21 I could sit on my hands. But I am 29 and I just want to play football every week.’
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