Victim’s parents back call to prevent terrorists hiring vehicles as weapons
The
parents of a Canadian woman mown down during the London Bridge attack
have called for stricter measures to stop terrorists using hire vehicles
as deadly weapons.
Social
worker Christine Archibald, 30, who lived in The Hague, Netherlands,
died in the arms of her fiance, Tyler Ferguson, after being struck by
the terrorists’ rented Hertz van.
The June 3 2017 attack followed similar atrocities involving hire vehicles, including on Westminster Bridge.
View photos
Barbara
and Greg Archibald issues a statement after Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft
QC concluded the eight victims of the London Bridge and Borough Market
attack were unlawfully killed.
In
his summing up, the coroner touched on the issue of preventing
dangerous extremists from getting their hands on high-powered vehicles.
They
said: “We are relieved that the coroner acknowledged the danger of lack
of procedures being in place currently to alert the authorities when a
suspected terrorist had or was attempting to hire a van.’
“We
very much hope that he will now recommend that appropriate measures be
introduced so that MI5 is notified when a vehicle is rented by a person
on their watch list. Such a protocol might have prevented the death of
Chrissy and others.
“Chrissy
was a beloved and sustaining presence in many lives. Nothing can deny
the brutality of her death or mitigate our grief at her loss, but we
hope that in the future no one else need be injured or killed in such an
attack because authorities weren’t alerted in time.
“In
memory of Chrissy, Xavier, Sebastian, Sara, James, Ignacio, Kirsty,
Alexandre and the many people who were injured and whose lives changed
forever, we hope the recommendations of the Chief Coroner, Mark Lucraft
QC, are given the most serious consideration.
“The
caring people who helped Tyler and Chrissy in such horrific
circumstances remain forever in our hearts, as do those who have helped
us through the legal maze and the grief of the past two years.”
View photos
Jennifer
Buchanan, who is representing the Archibald family in a civil claim,
said: “Working with victims of Westminster, Finsbury Park and London
Bridge, we have seen the devastation caused when a vehicle is used as a
weapon of terrorism. We welcome any recommendations about security
procedures around car hire to prevent such tragedy occurring in the
future.
“Now
that the worst stress of the inquest is over for the families of the
victims, we would like to call on the relevant London authorities to
talk to those affected by terrorism in London to devise a suitable,
permanent memorial to those killed and injured by terrorists in our
city.”
The
senior associate with law firm Fieldfisher was commenting ahead of any
recommendations by Mr Lucraft which are not expected until the autumn.
A
spokesman for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “City Hall is working
closely with Southwark Council who are in discussions with victims’
families, survivors and other stakeholders to look at the next steps
towards a permanent memorial.”
Source: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/victim-parents-back-call-prevent-171900256.html
Comments