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| Reading terror inquest: Deadly attack was avoidable, coroner concludes | Reading terror inquest: Deadly attack was avoidable, coroner concludes |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| (L-R) David Wails, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and James Furlong died at the scene of the attack in Forbury Gardens | (L-R) David Wails, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and James Furlong died at the scene of the attack in Forbury Gardens |
| The deaths of three men murdered by a terrorist in a Reading park were avoidable, an inquest has concluded. | The deaths of three men murdered by a terrorist in a Reading park were avoidable, an inquest has concluded. |
| Khairi Saadallah killed James Furlong, David Wails, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett, in Forbury Gardens in June 2020. | Khairi Saadallah killed James Furlong, David Wails, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett, in Forbury Gardens in June 2020. |
| He was given a whole-life term under anti-terror laws in 2021 after admitting murder and the attempted murder of three other men. | He was given a whole-life term under anti-terror laws in 2021 after admitting murder and the attempted murder of three other men. |
| Judge Coroner Sir Adrian Fulford found major problems with intelligence sharing between authorities. | Judge Coroner Sir Adrian Fulford found major problems with intelligence sharing between authorities. |
| Addressing the court, he described Saadallah's "volatility" and said he had a "terrorist mindset". | Addressing the court, he described Saadallah's "volatility" and said he had a "terrorist mindset". |
| Saadallah arrived in the UK in 2012 as a teenage refugee, having fought in the Libyan revolution, and suffered from PTSD, among other conditions. | Saadallah arrived in the UK in 2012 as a teenage refugee, having fought in the Libyan revolution, and suffered from PTSD, among other conditions. |
| He had extensive contact with mental health services, but Sir Adrian said he was "caught in a catch-22" with no continuity of care. | He had extensive contact with mental health services, but Sir Adrian said he was "caught in a catch-22" with no continuity of care. |
| Khairi Saadallah "executed" the men as an "act of religious jihad", the Old Bailey previously heard | Khairi Saadallah "executed" the men as an "act of religious jihad", the Old Bailey previously heard |
| He concluded that it was "at least possible" that Saadallah would never have attacked the men if his mental health had been correctly managed by authorities. | |
| Sir Adrian also said if intelligence about the high risk he posed had been shared properly he might have been detained by police. | Sir Adrian also said if intelligence about the high risk he posed had been shared properly he might have been detained by police. |
| He also found "significantly troubling failings" by counter-terrorist police officers, who lacked understanding and did not share information with other forces and the probation service. | He also found "significantly troubling failings" by counter-terrorist police officers, who lacked understanding and did not share information with other forces and the probation service. |
| Counter-terror programmes, such as Prevent, did not provide any "effective intervention" to address Saadallah's threats. | |
| Reports about the risk he posed were "markedly deficient", the judge coroner said, and one intelligence assessment was "simply inadequate". | |
| Sir Adrian said Saadallah had "demonstrated capacity for violence" on many occasions, and his behaviour had "markedly deteriorated" in the 18 months before the attack. | |
| He should have been recognised as a high-risk patient, he added. | |
| CCTV cameras captured Khairi Saadallah before and after the stabbing | |
| CCTV cameras captured Khairi Saadallah before and after the stabbing | |
| Saadallah was released from prison on 5 June 2020 and went to live in a flat in Basingstoke Road in Reading before he started preparing the attack. | |
| He visited Forbury Gardens, researched it online and bought a knife in a Morrisons supermarket. | |
| The night before the murders, local officers visited Saadallah after his brother rang police to raise concerns about his mental state. | |
| Body-worn video from the two-minute encounter shows Saadallah reassuring the officers, who asked how he was feeling and if he had enough food. | |
| A carrier bag containing a knife was visible on the floor behind him. | |
| On 20 June, his attack was "ruthless and lethal", prosecutors at his murder trial said. He attacked his victims so quickly that those who died had no idea what was happening. | |
| He shouted "Allahu Akbar [God is greatest]" as he attacked, and again as he ran away into Reading town centre, where he was chased and arrested by unarmed police. | |
| A memorial was unveiled at Forbury Gardens' bandstand in 2023 | |
| When he was sentenced in January 2021, Judge Mr Justice Sweeney said Saadallah carried out a "ruthless and brutal" attack. | |
| He said the three men "had no chance to react, let alone defend themselves". | |
| The judge added he was sure the attack "involved a substantial degree of premeditation or planning" and was carried out "for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause". | |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Berkshire | Berkshire |
| Reading stabbings | Reading stabbings |
| Reading | Reading |