The daughter of Sir David Amess has expressed her disappointment with the government’s decision to reject a national inquiry into his murder, calling it an “absolute insult” and a “betrayal to our father’s memory.”
Katie Amess shared that her father’s death at the hands of Ali Harbi Ali in 2021 has left an “unimaginable void” in her life. She criticized the authorities for letting her father down and for seemingly brushing his death under the carpet.
During a news conference, she appealed to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to reconsider her decision, emphasizing the importance of not letting her father’s murder fade into obscurity.
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“Do not let his death be just another statistic,” she urged.
Sir David was fatally stabbed by Harbi Ali, an Islamic State (ISIS) supporter, during a constituency surgery at a church hall in Leigh-on-Sea on October 15, 2021.
The killer, who received a whole-life sentence, had been radicalized by ISIS propaganda and had been referred to the anti-terror program Prevent before carrying out the attack.
An investigation into his murder revealed that Harbi Ali was released from the Prevent anti-terror program prematurely, with his case closed five years before the attack after just one meeting at a McDonald’s to discuss his interpretation of Islamic law prohibitions.
Amess’s daughter, who is also pursuing legal action against Essex Police and the Home Office, dismissed the investigation as another futile paper review conducted by a chosen individual.
In a tearful address, she accused Ms. Cooper of stringing the family along for months with false hope of assistance.
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She challenged the government’s disparity in treatment, questioning why inquiries were conducted for other tragic events while her father’s case was disregarded.
“Is his life worth less than others?” she queried. “Does our family not deserve the truth and assurance that such a tragedy will never reoccur?”
She criticized Ms. Cooper’s actions as solely offering meaningless paper reviews instead of substantial investigations or support.
She emphasized the inadequacy of repetitive paper reviews and demanded concrete action to prevent similar tragedies.
As Ms. Cooper rejected calls for a public inquiry, citing limitations in uncovering new information beyond existing assessments, the Amess family expressed disappointment with her response in a letter.
They urged the prime minister to reconsider the government’s stance before a scheduled meeting with him and Ms. Cooper.
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Security minister Dan Jarvis outlined the government’s decision against a public inquiry, pointing to previous reviews and improvements to the Prevent program and MP protections.
He assured the family of the government’s commitment to further scrutinizing past reviews to provide the justice they seek.