Tribute to youngest victim of fire
At the opening of the Grenfell Tower inquiry, a father described his stillborn child as a ‘sleeping angel’
AGrenfell Tower survivor has paid tearful tribute to his “beautiful, sleeping angel”, who was the youngest victim of the blaze, at the opening of the disaster inquiry.
Logan Gomes was stillborn in hospital after his mother Andreia escaped from the 21st floor with her husband and two young girls.
Calling the past 11 months one of his “hardest battles”, baby Logan’s father, Marcio Gomes, remembered cradling his “beautiful sleeping baby” and hoping he would open his eyes.
“As we know, that never happened,” he said, his voice breaking.
He told the public inquiry: “He might not be here physically but he will always be here in our hearts, and will be forever. I know he’s here, with God, right next to me, giving me strength and courage to take this forward.”
His comments marked the beginning of two weeks of poignant tributes from family and friends of the 72 victims as the first phase of the public inquiry gets under way.
Almost one year on, bereaved family and friends will paint a picture of the loved ones they lost in front of the retired judge chairing the probe, Sir Martin Moore-Bick.
Pausing often as emotion overcame him, Gomes said: “On the night we managed to escape the horrific fire at around four in the morning. That same evening, we found out that we had lost our son, Logan, in the hospital.”
The raw pain of the family’s grief was evident as they spoke, with Gomes saying his other children are “physically okay and we try to move on.”
“This was our little star, Logan Gomes,” he said, visibly distressed, as a picture of an ultrasound of Logan was shown on screen.
Gomes said he had been planning adventures to go on with his unborn son, and saw him as a “future gaming buddy” and “superstar” who would be his partner on the Xbox.
His two young girls were incredibly excited about the arrival of their baby brother.
The words “twinkle, twinkle, little star, do you know how loved you are?” were displayed on screen, which, Gomes said, had been on the wall of the child’s room-to-be.
“It was our way of showing how much we loved over son, Logan ...
We cried, during the reveal party that we had, when I found out it was a boy.”
Breaking down, he thanked Andreia for her “strength and courage” before the couple shared an emotional embrace.
“That was absolutely beautiful, thank you,” said Bernard Richmond QC as the tribute ended.
Opening the inquiry, Moore-Bick said: “In terms of loss of life the fire was the single greatest tragedy to befall this city since the end of World War II.
“The sight of the building engulfed in flame is indelibly printed on the memories of those who experienced an event of unimaginable horror.”
He added: “When we die, we live on in the memories of those who knew and loved us. It is fitting therefore that the opening hearings ... should be dedicated to the memory of those who died.
“They will be remembered by the words and pictures chosen by the people who knew them best and loved them most, their families and friends.”
The fire swept through Grenfell Tower in west London on June 14 last year. Some families have chosen not to take part in the commemorations at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in south Kensington, a new venue closer to the Grenfell community.
Private rooms, quiet areas and a prayer room will be available for the bereaved, survivors and residents, while there will be counselling and NHS support.
The rest of phase one of the inquiry will take place at Holborn Bars in central London, where several procedural hearings have already happened.
The probe is believed to have the largest number of core participants to date, with more than 500 survivors, bereaved families and friends, and members of the North Kensington community participating.