Reading terror attack inquest begins

The brother of one of the victims of the Reading terror attack has emotionally told an inquest the family calendar has been “locked in time” since his death.

Joseph Ritchie-Bennett was killed alongside James Furlong and David Wails on June 20 2020 in Forbury Gardens by Libyan refugee Khairi Saadallah.

The full inquest into their deaths began at the Old Bailey on Monday, where distant CCTV footage of the killings was played to the court as well as recordings of distressing 999 calls.

Emotional pen portraits of the three murder victims were also delivered to the inquest by their loved ones.

After senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Oliver Wright had taken the court through the events leading up to the attacks, Robert Ritchie gave the first pen portrait by paying tribute to his brother via video link from the United States.

He said: “Joe was a blessing to the entire world.

“To know Joe was to love Joe. We have never met anyone who didn’t love Joe.

“His mere presence made you smile. It took very little effort on his part to make you laugh.

“We were having a hard time finding the correct words for this tribute to Joe, so we decided to focus on how Joe lived – not how he died, as that would do a dishonour to this great man, whom we loved every day of his life for 39 years, and whom we are proud to call our son, brother and uncle, but most importantly – our friend.”

Mr Ritchie said he was thankful that his final words to his brother were “I love you” during a phone call six days before his murder.

He concluded his pen portrait by saying: “Rest in peace, Joe.”

Mr Ritchie said: “This should have never happened to you. We have missed you every day of our lives since June 20 2020, and we always will.”

Mr Ritchie said his mother and father “still have a calendar on the refrigerator that is locked in time” since his brother’s murder.

He continued: “There is a hole in our hearts and a void that will never be filled since you were taken from us. Time has stood still for the Ritchie family.

“They say people move on. We have not been able to move on without Joe. It has been too painful.”

Mr Furlong’s father, Gary Furlong, said he “received my last Father’s Day card from James on the day of his death which, with a broken heart, I opened the following day.”

His mother, Jan, said: “We are forever grateful for the amazing 36 years we had James in our lives.

“He achieved more than most people achieve in a long lifetime.

“We must celebrate and remember how James lived, the qualities he lived by, and not how he died.

“In James’s memory, if we all improve these qualities in our own lives, then his legacy will live on in all of us.

“But most importantly, as James would famously tell the pupils at the end of the school day: ‘Be safe, be careful, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’.”

In the final statement, read on behalf of Josephine Wails, she said her son was often working with other scientists across the EU on various projects, adding: “We all missed him but despite his busy life he always came home at holiday times to see us, and we spoke on the phone every week.

“Now all of his learning is wasted, and we are left heartbroken for the rest of our lives.

“We live every day with the horrific memory of the brutal murders that took him from us and denied us the chance to even say goodbye.”

Three other people: Stephen Young, Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan; were also injured before Saadallah threw away the 8in (20cm) knife and ran off, pursued by an off-duty police officer.

In January 2021, the killer was handed a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to three murders and three attempted murders.

Judge Coroner Sir Adrian Fulford, overseeing the inquest, said the evidence the court will hear will “undoubtedly be challenging to listen to”.

Mr Wright, of Thames Valley Police, also gave evidence from the witness box on Monday in which he said Saadallah was “pretty indiscriminate” in who he targeted in the attacks.

Counsel to the inquest, Nicholas Moss KC, asked the officer for his assessment on why Saadallah could be seen giving money away to charity before the killings, to which he replied: “I assess that was him cleansing himself and preparing himself for jihad.”

Addressing whether or not homophobia was a motivation for the murders, Mr Wright told the court: “My assessment was that KS targeted these victims because of where they were, not because of who they were.”

Mr Wright agreed with Mr Moss that the victims had “no chance to react, let alone defend themselves”.

The inquest heard that 38 999 calls were made after the attacks and one was played to the court in which a distressed member of the public said: “Just get loads of police here now, do it now.”

The full inquest will look at the management of Saadallah while in prison and on probation, as well as his mental health.

The assessment and response to his risk of terrorism before the attacks will also come under scrutiny.

The inquest, which is scheduled to last six weeks, continues.

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