An inquest has begun into the deaths of three friends who were murdered during a terrorist attack in a park. James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett, and David Wails were attacked by Khairi Saadallah in Forbury Gardens, Reading, in June 2020. Saadallah was later given a whole-life term for the murder of the three men.
The inquest, which is expected to last six weeks, was initially opened at Reading’s Town Hall but was moved to London following concerns that holding it near the area in which they died could cause distress to the families of the victims. Speaking outside the Old Bailey ahead of the hearing, James Furlong’s father said, “We owe it to them to get honest answers to whether their deaths could have been avoided.”
Judge Coroner Sir Adrian Fulford, who is presiding at the inquest, has said the aim is to determine if the attack could have been prevented by state bodies. He has promised the families that no relevant stone will be left unturned.
The Home Office had been in the process of removing Saadallah from the country in the months leading up to the murders, following several periods in prison, but it was decided it was unsafe to deport him due to the ongoing fighting in his home country. A memorial to the victims was unveiled in the park in June, along with a separate commemorative mosaic at the school in nearby Wokingham, where Mr Furlong taught history
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