A VIGIL has been held in memory of a Stratford woman killed in a terrorist attack near to London Bridge.
A minute’s silence was held this morning (Monday December 2) for 23-year-old Saskia Jones and 25-year-old Jack Merritt, both graduates of the University of Cambridge.
They were both stabbed to death on Friday November 29 while taking part in prisoner rehabiliation programme Learning Together – Jack as a co-ordinator and Saskia as a volunteer.
Suspect 28-year-old Usman Khan was on licence and wearing an electronic monitoring tag when he attended the conference at Fishmongers Hall. He was half way through a 16-year sentence for terrorism offences and had been released from jail in 2018.
He was shot dead by police after members of the public rushed to disarm him.
The vigil was held at Guildhall Yard in London with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan among those in attendance.
A book of condolences is open at Guildhall Art Gallery and members of the public are invited to lay flowers outside nearby Mansion House.
In a statement Saskia’s family said: “Saskia was a funny, kind, positive influence at the centre of many people’s lives. She had a wonderful sense of mischievous fun and was generous to the point of always wanting to see the best in all people.
“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.
“Saskia 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 programme, wishing to specialise in victim support.
“This is an extremely painful time for the family. Saskia will leave a huge void in our lives and we would request that our privacy is fully respected.”
Jack’s family described him as “our beautiful, talented boy, died doing what he loved.”
