London Bridge victim had touching final conversation with mum before terror attack

Five years person present passed since Saskia Jones and chap Cambridge postgraduate Jack Merritt, 25, were stabbed to decease by violent Usman Khan astatine a captive rehabilitation event

As Saskia Jones stirred atom successful a pan, she chatted to her mum Michelle astir visiting a ­Christmas marketplace with pals.

The 23-year-old past said: “I privation you to travel with america due to the fact that everybody knows you are my champion person due to the fact that you are.”

This was their past due conversation. Less than 24 hours later, connected November 29, 2019, Saskia was stabbed to decease by a violent astatine an lawsuit to rehabilitate prisoners astatine Fishmongers’ Hall successful London Bridge.

Five years person present passed since Saskia and chap Cambridge postgraduate Jack Merritt, 25, were killed successful Usman Khan’s frenzied attack. And today, Michelle speaks astir that horrific time for the archetypal time.

She has replayed their past chat successful her caput countless times and said: “It’s rather bizarre, astir arsenic though she knew. Although that speech brings maine immoderate comfort, I besides wonderment if it was a motion and someway I should person known.

“Saskia and I were precise close, we were much similar sisters. Life without her feels empty. It has near a imperishable spread successful my bosom that is intolerable to fill. It’s ever-present from erstwhile I emergence to erstwhile I sleep.”

Michelle is plagued by the thought Saskia, who wanted to beryllium a constabulary serviceman specialising successful intersexual violence, was successful 2 minds astir attending the lawsuit arsenic she was besides owed successful Cambridge that afternoon. She said: “If lone she had decided against going.

“If I could crook backmost time, it would beryllium my privation that those moving the lawsuit had provided Saskia and others invited with a database of attendees. At slightest past she could person made an informed prime astir the precocious hazard progressive successful going.”

Khan, 28, wearing a fake termination weaponry vest, besides injured 3 others earlier being chased connected to London Bridge wherever brave passers-by attacked him with makeshift weapons, including a narwhal tusk. A abbreviated clip later, City of London officers changeable him dead.

When Michelle, of Stratford-upon-Avon, West Mids, heard astir the attacks, she initially thought Saskia was too busy helping to reply to her messages. "But arsenic it got later, panic acceptable in,” she recalled.

The accomplishment of 2 constabulary liaison officers confirmed Michelle’s worst fears. “I realised it was her due to the fact that Saskia would person contacted maine someway to fto maine cognize she was OK. When they told me, I couldn’t determination – I was lasting and I recovered myself momentarily frozen.”

Saskia had died 9 hours earlier and Michelle volition ne'er recognize wherefore she was not told sooner. “That’s 1 of the hardest things to woody with – each that clip passed and I didn’t cognize my girl had died. Everyone wore lanyards with their names on. Why did cipher interaction me?”

A 2021 inquest recovered the atrocity had been preventable and the absorption of Khan – freed from jailhouse 11 months aboriginal aft serving 8 years connected panic charges – had been unacceptable. Michelle said learning Saskia would inactive beryllium live had radical done their jobs decently was a immense blow.

“It was a precise hard time for america arsenic a household - everybody had messed up, everybody had made mistakes and that was truly hard to absorb.” A Prevention of Future Deaths Report was besides issued, recommending a abstracted operation beryllium created to negociate the risks and attraction of convicted terrorists.

And the then-Tory authorities promised to present a Survivors Charter to warrant intelligence wellness and different enactment for victims of terrorism. But fractional a decennary on, the charter has not materialised and Michelle - who present works with enactment organisation Survivors Against Terror - remains successful the acheronian astir immoderate changes made.

She added: “There has been perfectly nary connection oregon transparency – truthful however are we, and the public, expected to cognize whether radical volition beryllium harmless if thing akin happens successful the future? Changes should person been made instantly to forestall different families having to acquisition what we person been done – due to the fact that 1 time it could beryllium their child.”

Michelle and her brothers Pete and Phil, who she credits for helping her, are determined to guarantee Saskia’s bequest and “zest for life” unrecorded on. They was honoured to larn Saskia's assemblage probe into rape and intersexual battle had formed the ground of a PHD successful her sanction astatine Anglia Ruskin University, wherever she completed her undergraduate degree.

And the authorities adjacent included her findings successful the 2021 Rape Review. Several awards and a counselling work for panic survivors person besides been launched successful her name.

Michelle said: “Saskia was remarkable. We ever picture her arsenic a beingness warrior arsenic she confronted everything that came her way. She realised radical person to look retired for each other, and that was precise overmuch her attitude.

“If we tin effort and prosecute immoderate of the changes she wanted successful the world, past I can’t deliberation of a amended legacy.”

To larn much astir the charter and Survivors Against Terror, sojourn www.survivorsagainstterror.org.uk