Heartbreak of stab victims’ families
THE DEVASTATED families of three men killed in the Reading knife atrocity said they “will always be with us in our hearts”.
James Furlong, 36, Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, and Dr David Wails, 49, were all stabbed to death in a park on Saturday evening after meeting to celebrate the easing of the lockdown, friends say.
Their deaths have prompted thousands of tributes from family, friends, colleagues and well-wishers from Reading.
David’s parents said: “He was a kind and much-loved son, brother and uncle who never hurt anyone in his life.
“We are broken-hearted at losing him and in such a terrible way.
James’s parents, Gary and Janet, said: “He will live in our hearts forever.”
And Joe’s father, Robert Ritchie-Bennett, said: “I was absolutely blessed to be Joe’s father for 39 years and we are heartbroken.”
Adam Weston, 30, told the Daily Express that Joe was his best friend. He said Joe, who worked for a Dutch pharmaceutical company, could now be with his late husband in heaven.
Speaking through tears: he said: “He would always check in on me. He was just such a kind, caring person.
“He loved his music, he loved his friends, he was always there for people, he was the perfect person. Him and Ian went through hell. Now, he is with Ian.”
David worked at global chemicals company Johnson Matthey and focused on clean energy. The company said: “We are devastated by the death of our colleague Dr Dave Wails.
“Much of his career focused on using science for cleaner energy applications.
“Dave was proud to use his expertise to make a positive impact on the world.”
A parliamentary assistant told how he used his shirt to try to stem the bleeding of victims of the knife attack. James Antell, who works for the Tory MP Chris Loder, said: “I tried my very best to identify where the injuries were and used my shirt to try and apply pressure to the wounds, but they were in a very, very bad way.
“I moved to another casualty and tried to identify where that wound was and apply pressure. I felt shaken. My thoughts are with the victims and loved ones.”