2nd London vic ID’d
Inmate rehab volunteer, 23, killed by con released early
The 23-year-old woman killed in Friday’s terror stabbing attack in London was dedicated to “providing invaluable support to victims of criminal injustice,” her family said.
Saskia Jones was identified Sunday as the second person who perished in the attack on the London Bridge.
Jones and 25-year-old Jack Merritt, who was also killed, were both in London for an event designed to help rehabilitate prisoners. Merritt had previously been identified by family members.
“Both were graduates of the University of Cambridge and were involved in the Learning Together program — Jack as a coordinator and Saskia as a volunteer,” police said.
The program was designed to bring graduate students together with prisoners to study criminology. One of the three people wounded on the bridge was also involved in the program.
Jones’ family said in a statement that she had “a great passion for providing invaluable support to victims of criminal injustice, which led her to the point of recently applying for the police graduate recruitment program.”
Her loved ones added she was a “funny, kind, positive influence at the center of many people’s lives,” according to The Guardian.
“She had a wonderful sense of mischievous fun and was generous to the point of always wanting to see the best in all people,” read the statement. “She was intent on living life to the full and had a wonderful thirst for knowledge, enabling her to be the best she could be.”
People were gathered on the bridge to celebrate the fifth year of the Learning Together program.
“What should have been a joyous opportunity to celebrate the achievements of this unique and socially transformative program, hosted by our Institute of Criminology, was instead disrupted by an unspeakable criminal act,” said Cambridge University Vice Chancellor Stephen Toope.
The attacker, Usman Khan, was killed by police. He had been apparently attending the event when he started stabbing people.
Khan had served prison time in a terror plot that targeted Parliament, the U.S. Embassy and Boris Johnson, the current prime minister who was mayor of London at the time.
He was given an early release from prison, serving about half his sentence. Local political leaders fought Sunday over who is responsible for Khan’s release.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.