To know Joe was to love23 Joe. His mere presence would make you smile..
Terror attack victims remembered
THE brother of a victim of the Reading terror attack told an inquest how time has stood still for the family since his death.
Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, was stabbed to death alongside James Furlong, 36, and David Wails, 49, by refugee Khairi Saadallah in June 2020.
The full inquest into their deaths at the Old Bailey began yesterday.
Distant CCTV footage of the killings was played to the court as well as recordings of distressing 999 calls.
After senior investigating officer Det Chief Supt Oliver Wright described events leading up to the attacks, Robert Ritchie delivered a pen portrait of his brother via video link from America.
He said: “Joe was a blessing to the entire world. To know Joe was to love Joe. We have never met anyone who didn’t love Joe. His mere presence made you smile. It took very little effort on his part to make you laugh.”
Mr Ritchie said he was thankful that his final words to his brother, in a phone call six days before the murder, were “I love you”.
He said his mother and father still had a calendar on the refrigerator that was “locked in time” since their son’s murder.
Mr Ritchie said: “There is a hole in our hearts and a void that will never be filled since you were taken from us. Time has stood still for the Ritchie family. They say people move on. We have not been able to move on without Joe. It has been too painful.” He concluded, saying: “Rest in peace, Joe. This should have never happened to you. We have missed you every day of our lives since June 20, 2020, and we always will.”
Three other people – Stephen Young, Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan – were also injured before Libyan Saadallah, left, threw away the 8in knife and ran off, pursued by an off-duty police officer.
In January 2021, Saadallah got a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to three murders and three attempted murders. Judge Coroner Sir Adrian Fulford, overseeing the inquest, said the evidence the court would hear would be challenging.
The inquest will look at the management of Saadallah when he was in prison and on probation before the attacks, as well as his mental health.
The assessment of his risk of terrorism will also come under scrutiny.
Before the inquest began, James Furlong’s dad Gary said victims’ families wanted to be “reassured that no stone has been left unturned in the quest for answers about how the murders of our loved ones could have taken place”.
He said: “We will be listening carefully as the many public bodies that have been called give a full account of their dealings with Saadallah.”
The inquest continues.