Reading terrorist Khairi Saadallah facing life behind bars one year after sentence

This month marked one year since the terrorist who murdered three men in Forbury Gardens was jailed.

The pain of that tragic day is still raw for residents but the town can take some comfort in knowing the evil man who killed three of our own is locked tightly behind bars.

To mark the serving of justice, the Chronicle is taking a look back the sentence the terrorist received and what it means.

Khairi Saadallah murdered James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails after he fatally stabbed the trio at Forbury Gardens on June 20, 2020.

The Libyan-national also admitted to the attempted murder of Nishit Nisudan, Patrick Edwards and Stephen Young.

He was arrested around a quarter of an hour after his rampage by brave police officers who rugby tackled him to the ground.

Saadallah was re-arrested again on June 21 under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Saadallah appeared at the Old Bailey in November 2020 to admit to the six offences he was charged with.

Three months later, on 11 January 2021, he was sentenced at the same court.

Here, he was given a whole life sentence, meaning he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

This means he will stay behind bars without eligibility for parole.

Sadly, no – Saadallah appealed his sentence in an attempt to secure an eventual release.

A hearing at the Court of Appeal was heard in October 2021.

Saadallah’s legal team claimed he did not illustrate substantial planning in the days before his horrific attack, that his offences were not substantially ideologically motivated, and that he had ‘life-long’ mental health issues.

But the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett dismissed Saadallah’s appeal, stating his whole-life order could not be seen as ‘wrong’ or ‘excessive’.

Source: Reading Chronicle