“Anything less would be a disgrace”.

That’s the message from the families of the three men who were murdered at Forbury Gardens last year after their killer was told he will not get a reduction in his prison sentence.

Khairi Saadallah, 27, was handed a whole-life sentence for the murder of James Furlong, Joseph Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails on June 20, 2020.

 

The family of James Furlong (left to right) his partner Tony Belicard, his father Gary Furlong senior, his mother Janet Furlong, and brother Gary Furlong junior, speak to the media outside the Court of Appeal at The Royal Courts Of Justice, central

The family of James Furlong (left to right) his partner Tony Belicard, his father Gary Furlong senior, his mother Janet Furlong, and brother Gary Furlong junior, speak to the media outside the Court of Appeal at The Royal Courts Of Justice, central

 

The Libyan national had hoped his time behind bars would be reduced to a minimum 30-year term after making a plea against his sentence to the Court of Appeal.

However, Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett threw out the appeal and denied Saadallah’s original sentence was “wrong” or “excessive”.

Reacting to the decision, the families of the three victims said in a joint statement: “We are pleased that the Court of Appeal has upheld the whole life sentence imposed on Saadallah, anything less would be a disgrace.

 

The family of James Furlong (left to right) his partner Tony Belicard, his father Gary Furlong senior, his mother Janet Furlong, and brother Gary Furlong junior, speak to the media outside the Court of Appeal at The Royal Courts Of Justice, central

The family of James Furlong (left to right) his partner Tony Belicard, his father Gary Furlong senior, his mother Janet Furlong, and brother Gary Furlong junior, speak to the media outside the Court of Appeal at The Royal Courts Of Justice, central

 

“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.

“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.”

 

The family of James Furlong (left to right) his father Gary Furlong senior, his partner Tony Belicard and brother Gary Furlong junior, reading a statement to the media outside the Court of Appeal at The Royal Courts Of Justice, central London. Reading

The family of James Furlong (left to right) his father Gary Furlong senior, his partner Tony Belicard and brother Gary Furlong junior, reading a statement to the media outside the Court of Appeal at The Royal Courts Of Justice, central London. Reading

 

Statements were also made from members of each family about their loved on ones.

James Furlong’s family said: “There is not a moment we don’t think of James. So many people lost someone close to them that day. To lose James in such horrific circumstances is a wound that our family will carry for the rest of our lives.

 

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout photo of James Furlong, one of the three victims of the Reading terror attack. Reading terror attacker Khairi Saadallah has lost a bid to bring a Court of Appeal challenge against his whole-life sentence for

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout photo of James Furlong, one of the three victims of the Reading terror attack. Reading terror attacker Khairi Saadallah has lost a bid to bring a Court of Appeal challenge against his whole-life sentence for

 

“His voice, his laugh, his smile - we miss being in his presence. His legacy will live on through his family, friends, students and all those who knew him.”

The family of a David Wails, who was 49 when he died, said: “David attained a Doctorate in Chemistry and was doing valuable research to provide cleaner energy for the environment.

“His expertise in this field is a loss to the world but his loss as a much-loved son, brother and uncle is far greater. We will never recover from losing him in such a terrible way.”

 

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout photo of David Wails, one of the three victims of the Reading terror attack. Reading terror attacker Khairi Saadallah has lost a bid to bring a Court of Appeal challenge against his whole-life sentence for

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout photo of David Wails, one of the three victims of the Reading terror attack. Reading terror attacker Khairi Saadallah has lost a bid to bring a Court of Appeal challenge against his whole-life sentence for

 

And the family of Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, who was 39, added: “Joe earned a degree from the University of Toronto in Canada and went on to become a pharmaceutical manager at ALK-Abello in Reading, England where he was loved and respected by his colleagues.

“He was a much-loved son, brother, uncle, cousin, and most importantly – friend – to all who knew him. We will never understand why Joe, David and James were taken from us in such a horrible way.

 

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout photo of Joe Ritchie-Bennett, one of the three victims of the Reading terror attack. Reading terror attacker Khairi Saadallah has lost a bid to bring a Court of Appeal challenge against his whole-life

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout photo of Joe Ritchie-Bennett, one of the three victims of the Reading terror attack. Reading terror attacker Khairi Saadallah has lost a bid to bring a Court of Appeal challenge against his whole-life

 

“We share in the grief and pain that is felt by the Wails and Furlong families and we stand united with them.

“Our pain has never gone away, if anything, it has grown worse with time. We will never recover from losing Joe.”

Khairi Saadallah's Court of Appeal hearing took place at the Court of Appeal on October 14.