Love you for ever, my little brother
Sister’s moving tribute to arson victim Joel, seven
ENOUGH TO BREAK YOUR HEART
THE sister of a seven-year- old boy who died when a killer torched their home has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her ‘amazing little brother’.
Sarah Urhie, 19, tweeted ‘nothing really makes sense right now’ alongside a video clip of Joel giving her a tender kiss on the cheek.
Joel became London’s 90th murder victim this year after the arson attack on the family home in south London in the early hours of Monday.
Miss Urhie and their mother Sophie, 49, leapt 15ft out of the upstairs window to escape the inferno as neighbours tried to save Joel who was trapped inside.
On Tuesday police launched a murder investigation, but have so far made no arrests. It has been reported that Joel’s older brother Samuel, 21, a convicted drug dealer who was recently released from prison, may have been targeted by a ruthless drugs gang.
Under the user name ‘shawti’, Miss Urhie posted a six- second selfie video
Wednesday’s Daily Mail of her and her brother pouting for the camera. The heart-rending clip, which appears to be taken in a living room, then sees Joel give his big sister a tender kiss. Alongside is the caption: ‘Rest in perfect peace my amazing little brother Joel, nothing makes sense right now, I love you.’
Another five-second selfie video shows Miss Urhie posing for the camera before turning it towards her brother, who gives an adorable smile towards the lens. It is captioned: ‘Rest in paradise, I love you for ever little bro.’
Both clips were posted on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon and by last night had been viewed more than 30,000 times and liked by thousands of users.
As the little boy’s death deepened concerns about crime on Britain’s streets, family members have claimed that Joel’s brother Sam was the target.
A relative said Sam was involved in ‘ dodgy stuff’ and described how his parents had spent years struggling to keep him out of trouble.
A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said ‘[the arson attack] is definitely gangrelated, 100 per cent’.
Friends have revealed how Sam was heard shouting ‘ Oh, why not me?’ as he was given the news about his brother’s death. Although he had been living at the house, he was not there at the time of the fire because he had been stabbed and was too afraid to return.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley said police are keeping an ‘open mind concerning motive’ for the arson attack and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
He said: ‘This horrific incident has left a family shattered and the tragic loss of such a young life in suspicious circumstances resonates throughout the community in Deptford. Our sympathies are with Joel’s family and friends as they struggle to come to terms with their loss.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of Joel’s death was ‘consistent with fire and smoke inhalation’, police said. Detectives are going through CCTV from nearby properties in the hope it will show the killer, or killers, at the scene.
Joel’s mother, a nurse, is still being treated in hospital for injuries caused by the jump.