TRAGIC VICTIM
A CAMBRIDGE graduate has been named as one of the victims of the London Bridge terror attack.
Jack Merritt, 25, was running a writing course pairing ex-prisoners and academics when he was stabbed to death by attendee Usman Khan on Friday.
Mr Merritt’s grieving father David yesterday led tributes to his son, describing him as “a beautiful spirit who always took the side of the underdog”.
A vigil was held in Cambridge as the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope, said he was “devastated” people attending the event could have been targets of the attack.
David wrote online: “My son, Jack, who was killed in this attack, would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily.”
He said his son had been a champion for those who had been “dealt a losing hand by life, who ended up in the prison system”.
Jack was one of two people killed by Khan. The other, a woman, had not been named last night.
Three others were seriously injured but were in a stable condition yesterday.
Jack, from Cottenham in Cambridgeshire, studied law at Manchester before completing a post-graduate course at Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology in 2017.
He was based at his 28-yearold killer’s jail Grendon, a minimum security Category D prison in Buckinghamshire, during the course.
He became a co-ordinator for the Learning Together programme, which runs events for ex-prisoners and academics.
Khan was invited to take part in a conference to mark
‘He was a warrior of a bloke and one of my best friends... he always fought for the little guy’
its fifth anniversary at Fishmongers’ Hall. A schedule for the event showed Jack was running a storytelling and creative writing workshop moments before he was attacked.
He also ran a law course at Warren Hill prison in Suffolk and said: “Being a student on Learning Together is different to other types of being a student. I found I put in a huge amount more of myself to the course but also got loads more out.”
Speaking about his work in March, he said: “Our students in prison often have a very first-hand, very real but also very nuanced idea of how the law works and also they have a very good sense of where there is a lack in information, where there is a lack in knowledge and they really do know which areas of the law could do with clarification.”
Jamie Bennett, a former prison governor and research associate at the University of Oxford, tweeted: “So sorry for you and your family.
“Jack promoted progressive reform and his spirit continues to inspire.”
Dr Hannah Quirk said: “I taught him at Manchester and wrote his reference for Cambridge. He was an exceptional student and a lovely young man.” Lewis Taylor, 27, said: “He was a warrior of a bloke and one of my best friends. He always fought for the little guy, and he gave all of his energy to the justice system.
“He worked every day with incarcerated men to make their lives better. He achieved more in 25 years than most will in a lifetime.”
Mercury Prize-winning rapper Dave also posted a tribute. “Jack Merritt was the best guy. Dedicated his life to helping others. Genuinely an honour to have met someone like you.”
A special church service was held at Great St Mary’s in Cambridge yesterday.