Justice for Lionel
Victim’s brother asks killers to turn themselves in
SOMEONE has vital information about who killed Lionel Simenya.
And it is their duty to come forward and help his family get justice.
Lionel was hit by a stolen car in Edinburgh just a few years after coming to Scotland from Burundi in Africa.
He worked hard, was doing well and was living life in peace. His distraught brother wants answers. That message, sadly, will probably be ignored by the cowards who killed him. But others will know who did this – and they must do the right thing.
THE brother of a chef who was murdered by joyriders yesterday urged the killers to “do the right thing” and hand themselves in.
Lionel Simenya died after being struck by a stolen car in Edinburgh a week ago.
His brother Nicolas said the 36-year-old did not “deserve such an atrocious death”.
He added: “Lionel was a wonderful, protective big brother and appreciated by all those who crossed his path.
“Lionel worked hard and never asked for help from anyone. He was in his prime and would have been 37 on Wednesday, had he not been taken away from us.”
Appealing to the joyriders, Nicolas added: “My message is to come forward. We want to know what happened on this night. We want to know how my brother died.
“If they have sympathy for my family, they have to do the right thing.”
Nicolas, 35, said Lionel’s mother, his two older sisters and two older brothers were devastated.
He added: “We visited his body at the mortuary, he looked so peaceful – the same way he lived his life. Lionel should be living his life to the fullest, instead of having been cruelly taken away from us.” Lionel, who worked as a chef in Gorgie, Edinburgh, was originally from Burundi but had lived in Scotland for years.
He was struck by a stolen Peugeot 208 on Fords Road in the Saughton area of the city at about 3.50am on March 7.
The car, which had been stolen from nearby Fair Deal Autos, was found dumped at the end of the road.
Lionel’s car was also found close by.
Police are examining CCTV footage from the garage.
Detective Inspector Stuart Alexander said: “We need to get justice for Lionel’s family.”
He said he could not reveal the exact nature of Lionel’s injuries and added he believed a confrontation had taken place.