Defoe shocked as Spurs murder curse strikes again

JERMAIN DEFOE is "shocked and saddened" after learning that another of his relatives has been murdered. The Tottenham striker's cousin Allan Edgar, 78, was "knifed in the neck during a robbery at his home in St Lucia", the Daily Mail reports. His body was discovered by friends this morning.
 
Defoe said: "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."
 
It is another tragedy for Defoe, after his half-brother - rapper Jade - was killed in a street attack in East London in 2009. A 34-year-old man was jailed last year in connection with his death.
 
Defoe is not the only Spurs player to suffer a recent family bereavement. In 2009, Edwin Palacios - brother of former Lilywhite Wilson Palacios - was murdered by kidnappers in Honduras.
 
At the launch of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation today, Defoe, a vocal activist against street violence, addressed the issue of young people being drawn to crime and revealed that he tried to stop people from his area joining the London riots this year.
 
The 29-year-old told LBC radio: "I remember walking around in Woodford and I saw a group of kids. So I stopped them and said 'What are you doing?', knowing where they were going.
 
"They said 'We're going to riot', so I said 'Do you even know what you're rioting about? What are you rioting for'. They said 'What else are we supposed to do? We haven't got any jobs.' I just told them it was crazy."
 
Defoe said he understood why youths turn to crime and admitted "I could have been like that" had he not succeeded as a footballer.  
 
In better news for the striker, he is reportedly winning his battle to be fit for Spurs' crunch meeting with Chelsea on Thursday. ·