Second victim of London Bridge terror attack has been named
1 December 2019, 17:26
The second victim of the London Bridge terror attack has been named as Saskia Jones.
The news was announced in a statement by the Metropolitan Police, shortly after the University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor revealed the victim was a former student.
The 23-year-old, who lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, was volunteering at the Learning Together event at Fishmongers' Hall when the incident happened.
A statement from the family of Ms Jones 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."
The other victim of the attack was Jack Merritt, the course coordinator for Learning Together, the initiative which was holding a meeting at Fishmongers’ Hall when the attack started.
Professor Stephen Toope, Cambridge University Vice-Chancellor, said the Learning Together event should have been a "joyous opportunity to celebrate the achievements of this unique and socially transformative programme" but was instead "disrupted by an unspeakable criminal act".
The event took place at Fishmongers' Hall to mark five years of the university's Learning Together programme - which focuses on prisoner rehabilitation.
On Saturday the father of Jack Meritt tweeted a tribute to his son, describing him as a "beautiful spirit".
He wrote: "My son, Jack, who was killed in this attack, would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily. R.I.P. Jack: you were a beautiful spirit who always took the side of the underdog."
The family requested for his death not to be used to justify introducing "even more draconian sentences" on offenders, after Boris Johnson vowed to take steps to ensure people are not released early when they commit serious offences.
A statement from Mr Merritt's family said: "We know Jack would not want this terrible, isolated incident to be used as a pretext by the government for introducing even more draconian sentences on prisoners, or for detaining people in prison for longer than necessary."
The attack prompted the Ministry of Justice to review the licence conditions of every convicted terrorist released from prison, which the Prime Minister says is "probably about 74" people.
