Terror victim was ‘force for good in the world’, mother tells inquest

A TERROR victim’s mother has tearfully described her son as a “force for good in the world” as an inquest heard details of the Fishmongers’ Hall attack in which he died.

Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan at a prisoner rehabilitation event near London Bridge on November 29 2019.

Khan, 28, who was armed with two knives and wore a fake suicide vest, was tackled by members of the public with a decorative pike, narwhal tusk and fire extinguisher, and then shot dead by police on London Bridge.

A jury inquest on of Mr Merritt and Ms Jones began yesterday before coroner Mark Lucraft QC at Guildhall in the City of London.

Ms Jones was a former criminology student and ex-Cambridge undergraduate Mr Merritt was employed by the university on the Learning Together programme.

Mr Merritt’s mother Anne wept as she told jurors: “Jack was a force for good in the world, someone who made other people’s lives better for knowing him. We are hugely proud of who Jack was and what he stood for. His death was a tragedy but his life was a triumph.”

Henry Pitchers QC, for the Jones family, said Ms Jones would wish the inquest to focus on the facts and evidence, with the “emphasis to be on a thorough investigation as to how she came to lose her life”.

He added it is important to the family that her legacy is not solely based on her work with Learning Together. Mr Pitchers said: “She should be defined as someone who battled to improve the lives of others in several spheres and was driven to make real changes in the world.”

Detective Chief Inspector Dan

Brown chronicled the attack in a series of graphic photographs and video.

Jurors were told that Mr Merritt had some professional dealings with Khan before the Learning Together event in the stately hall.

Footage from shortly before midday showed Khan talking “animatedly” with Ms Jones at a table, even though they had not known each other before.

Around two hours later, at 1.56pm, he launched his attack in the men’s toilets. Khan had strapped two knives on to his hands, leaving a bag containing a third blade in a cubicle and dropping a prayer book on the floor.

He came across Mr Merritt, stabbing him multiple times, causing 12 injuries including a fatal wound to the chest, the court was told.

Khan made his way to the cloakroom area, where he gestured to a member of staff “as if to be quiet”, Mr Brown said. Ms Jones was stabbed once in the neck and staggered up a few steps before she collapsed, jurors heard.

Khan went on to injure Stephanie Szczotko and Isobel Rowbotham during the rampage.

He was confronted by a number of attendees with makeshift weapons, including an ornamental pike taken from the wall. Khan was pursued on to London Bridge by John Crilly, Steven Gallant and Darryn Frost at around 2.01pm, five minutes after the attack began.

Mr Crilly sprayed a fire extinguisher at him and Mr Frost jabbed at him with a narwhal tusk before they all tackled Khan to the ground.

The inquest continues.

His death was a tragedy but his life was a triumph. Anne Merritt, whose son Jack was killed by Usman Khan at Fishmongers’ Hall.