Reading attack victim's dad 'still chasing' changes

Gary Furlong, who spoke to the press after the conclusion of the inquest in April 2024, said he was "really not happy" with progress

The father of a man murdered in a Reading park said relatives of victims have had to "drag" governments to make meaningful changes.

Gary Furlong's son James, David Wails and Joe Ritchie-Bennett were stabbed to death by Khairi Saadallah in Forbury Gardens on 20 June 2020.

Mr Furlong met home secretary Yvette Cooper and Home Office minister Dan Jarvis earlier this year and said the government was aware the men's families were "really not happy" with progress.

The Home Office was approached to comment.

Mr Furlong, from Liverpool, said he was "still chasing" details about how planned changes to the government's anti-extremism Prevent programme had improved it.

Following an inquest into the three men's deaths, judge coroner Sir Adrian Fulford concluded their deaths were avoidable and found major problems with intelligence sharing between authorities.

(L-R) David Wails, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and James Furlong died at the scene of the attack in Forbury Gardens five years ago

Saadallah and Southport killer Axel Rudakubana were both referred to Prevent before they committed their crimes.

"I have been very passionate about the fact that we need to be auditing any changes," Mr Furlong told BBC Radio Berkshire.

"We need to see that they are actually being effective. When we saw the incident in Southport, it threw us back to square one."

Saadallah was given a whole-life term in 2021 after admitting murder and the attempted murder of three other men.

The memorial to the three men was unveiled at the Forbury Bandstand in 2023

Mr Furlong added: "If the families don't fight, nothing happens. It's only pressure from the families that means we ever get any change.

"It seems that we have to drag them screaming and kicking to do these changes."

Counter Terrorism Policing, the Probation Service and Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust were among other organisations criticised for failing in the Saadallah case.

Mr Furlong, his wife Jan and other relatives and friends of the three victims will gather at events in Reading on Friday.

A private memorial service at St Laurence's Church will be held from 18:00 BST. Gates will open in Forbury Gardens from 18:30 ahead of a civil memorial service there.

"We miss James so much. It's very difficult to put into words," Mr Furlong added.

"As much as we are celebrating James' memory and I like to celebrate him, it comes with terrible sadness."

Mr Furlong's MP Paula Barker said Sir Adrian's conclusions must be implemented so his work is "not yet another report of this nature that sits on a shelf gathering dust".

"The state does this all too often, and it fails to learn the lessons following the loss of life in entirely preventable circumstances," the Liverpool Wavertree representative added.

"We have witnessed repeated failings on behalf of Prevent that have resulted in other tragedies."