Families of Reading terror attack victims welcome failed Court of Appeal bid
14/10/2021
Khairi Saadallah lost a Court of Appeal challenge via videolink at a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice
The families of the Reading terror attacker’s victims have welcomed his failed Court of Appeal bid against his sentence, saying “anything less would be a disgrace”.
Khairi Saadallah lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his whole-life sentence for the murders of three men following a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday.
Now 27, he was sentenced to die in prison after he fatally stabbed friends James Furlong, 36, Dr David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, on June 20 last year.
In a joint statement the three men’s families welcomed the upholding of his sentence after senior judges rejected Saadallah’s appeal bid.
“While nothing can bring back James, David and Joseph it gives us some comfort to know that Saadallah will spend the whole of the rest of his life behind bars and that the public will be protected from this dangerous man,” they said.
“The loss of James, Joseph and David has left a vast hole in all of our lives and not a day goes by that we don’t miss them tremendously.
“We were robbed of our loved ones and we look forward to getting more answers through the inquest process about the circumstances surrounding Saadallah’s actions and the various agencies that were involved with him.”
Three other people were injured in the approximately minute-long rampage in Forbury Gardens, Reading, before Saadallah threw away the eight-inch knife he used and attempted to flee.
Saadallah, of Basingstoke Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to three murders and three attempted murders.
Mr Justice Sweeney sentenced him at the Old Bailey to a whole-life order in January, saying it was a “rare and exceptional” case.
He was also handed concurrent 24-year jail terms for the attempted murders of Stephen Young, Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan.
Published: by Radio NewsHub
