Father of Park Stabbing Victim Seeks Assurances on Preventative Changes

The father of a man killed in a Reading park is seeking assurances from the Home Secretary regarding the thorough implementation of measures designed to prevent future attacks. Gary Furlong’s son, James, along with David Wails and Joe Ritchie-Bennett, were fatally stabbed by Khairi Saadallah at Forbury Gardens in June 2020. Judge coroner Sir Adrian Fulford concluded that their deaths could have been prevented and identified significant deficiencies in intelligence sharing among various authorities. The involved authorities stated that they had collaborated to implement modifications since the spring. On Monday, Home Office minister Dan Jarvis informed the House of Commons of his willingness to meet with the victims’ families. Mr. Furlong expressed his hope that Mr. Jarvis and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper would furnish specifics regarding enduring changes. Saadallah received a whole-life sentence in 2021, having confessed to murder and the attempted murder of three additional men. He entered the UK in 2012 as a teenage refugee, having participated in the Libyan revolution, and experienced PTSD, among other ailments. He spent several years incarcerated intermittently for various violent offenses, such as numerous assaults on police officers and the possession of knives. “There have been fundamental problems and still are fundamental problems in mental health services within prisons,” Mr Furlong stated. He added, “People are being released from prison when they’re not actually being treated.” Mr. Furlong continued, “There’s a problem in how we release people back into society. It is not managed.” In 2017, during his incarceration, authorities observed Saadallah associating with the notorious Islamist radicaliser Omar Brooks, also identified as Abu Izzadeen, a long-standing member of the currently proscribed group al-Muhajiroun. “'[Saadallah] had come here as a 16-year-old and was known to be fighting [in Libya] for eight months and was part of a group called the 17th February Martyrs Brigade,” Mr Furlong stated. “And we allowed this man into this country under those circumstances.” He recounted that certain authorities considered Saadallah “someone else’s problem” and failed to manage the risks he presented. He informed BBC Radio Berkshire, “People put things into place but then don’t check that they’re actually working.” He further elaborated, “What was clear through this [inquest] process was the people involved were not properly trained – in some cases not trained at all – or the management of the process was very poor and someone was not checking what was actually happening.” Mr. Furlong questioned, “What is the government going to put in place to ensure what they say they are going to do has actually taken place?” Mr. Furlong mentioned that he had reviewed over 1,000 statements pertinent to the attack. He added, “The thing I have always said from the start is when I finally leave this process I want to be able to say to James, Joe and David that I have done everything possible to make things better in their name.” Mr. Furlong concluded, “Their deaths have to count for something and if it saves lives in the future, I will feel justified for the tiredness, because it’s taken its toll on myself and my wife. It’s been very difficult.” Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, who also heads Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), indicated that enhancements had been implemented. He stated, “Wholesale changes have been made to the multi-agency public protection arrangements which are in place when people leave prison.” Metcalfe affirmed, “Much has already been done, but we know that there is still work to do to ensure all the necessary improvements are made. We will not rest until this is complete.” A spokesperson for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust confirmed its collaboration with “all agencies involved to make improvements including better communication and engagement”. In September, responding to Sir Adrian, Ms. Cooper declared her “commitment to treat any failures with the utmost seriousness and oversee the proper implementation of recommendations and commitments”.