‘Don’t let anyone else suffer like us’

JOSE GROSS (Alice’s father): ‘Our concern has been to ensure that there are fair and proportionate rules governing the movement of serious criminals … we believe that, had such measures been in place, Alice’s death might have been prevented.

‘We do not want to see another tragic example of a pointless and avoidable death.

‘We do not want another family to suffer what we have been through … Losing Alice has shattered me. The pain of knowing I will never see, hear or cuddle her again is unbearable.’

NINA GROSS (sister): ‘Alice was a kind and loving sister who deserved so much to live a full life … Regardless of whether legal responsibility can be attributed to the state for Alice’s death, I believe the state failed Alice and our family.’

ROS HODGKISS (mother): ‘I still find it almost impossible to believe our lovely daughter has been so brutally taken … I miss her every moment of every day. I have felt the need to find out as much as I can about how it is possible that she could have been killed in such a horrific way, and to try and change things so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.’

FAMILY STATEMENT: ‘Even if Zalkalns or someone like him came to the UK for the first time today, in all probability the UK would not be made aware of his criminal background unless or until he committed a further offence.

‘There are such systems for terrorism, football hooliganism and organised crime. Why not for these dangerous individuals? … there was, and still is, no obligation for Latvia to [notify UK authorities].’