Amess daughter sues police for failing to stop MP’S terrorist killer

THE daughter of Sir David Amess is suing a police force and the Home Office over their failure to stop the terrorist who killed him.

Sir David, one of the country’s most respected parliamentarians, was stabbed to death by Islamist extremist

Ali Harbi Ali during his weekly constituency surgery in Southend in October 2021.

Ali was referred to Prevent, the Government’s deradicalisation programme, in 2014 but was left unchecked to carry out the attack after one meeting, having deceived officers into thinking he was not a threat.

He was sentenced to life in prison in

April 2022 after a jury took 18 minutes to find him guilty.

Katie Amess, Sir David’s 38-year-old daughter, has filed a High Court civil case for “personal injury” against Essex Police and the Home Office, the Mirror reported.

Daniel Machover, head of civil litigation at Hickman & Rose, said: “Like so many others, Katie Amess was horrified both by the fact of her father’s murder, and the circumstances surrounding it.

“She has issued a claim at court as part of her desire to ensure proper accountability and learning from Sir David’s murder.”

A review of Prevent last February found that counter-extremism efforts should focus on the ideology of terrorists rather than their mental health.

Ali targeted Sir David because he was among MPS who had voted to bomb Islamic State in Syria.

During his murder trial he boasted about how easy it was for him to appear compliant when forced to engage with Prevent. “I just knew to nod my head and say yes and they would leave me alone afterwards, and they did,” he told a court in April 2022.

After Sir David’s murder, MPS were encouraged to hire private security guards to keep them safe while they conducted surgeries with constituents.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government takes the safety of Members of Parliament extremely seriously, and significant work has been taken forward in response to the tragic killing of Sir David Amess.”