Reading stabbings: Victims will never be forgotten, parents say

Three men who were stabbed to death in a park will "never be forgotten" the parents of one of them has said ahead of the first anniversary of the attack.

Friends James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, were killed in June last year in Reading's Forbury Gardens.

A service will take place in the park on Sunday to remember them.

Gary and Jan Furlong said they wanted to "find a way of celebrating James' life with happiness".

"We'll be there for James, Joe and David - be there for all of them," said Mrs Furlong, who will travel with her husband from Liverpool to Reading for the service.

"It's going to be sad but it's going to be to remember them all - they will never be forgotten."

James Furlong was head of history and government and politics at The Holt School in Wokingham.

Describing her son, Mrs Furlong said: "Beautiful boy, fun, loving, caring. The list is endless for James - what a lovely person he was.

"It's just heartbreaking he's not with us."

Mr Furlong described his son as "very considerate to other people".

"He was always happy go lucky, with a dry sense of humour," he said, adding: "He led a full, well-lived life."

Mr Furlong added: "It will never be easy, but we've got to find a way of celebrating James' life with happiness."

His parents thanked The Holt School for the warmth and tributes shown to them following his death, describing the pupils as "James' legacy".

"The amount of letters we got off them telling us how he had affected their lives... the work they put in honouring James will live with us to the end," Mr Furlong said.

He also thanked Reading's LGBT community, which the three men were part of.

"Our gratitude is endless to be honest with you... And that was a big part of James' life both in Reading and in Liverpool," he said.

He added the couple had returned to the Blagrave Arms, near Forbury Gardens, where the three friends used to socialise.

"The community and people in there are lovely, lovely people," Mr Furlong said.

"I think Reading will always have sadness for us, but it will have some good memories of good people."

Khairi Saadallah, who admitted murdering James Furlong, Mr Wails, and Mr Ritchie-Bennett, was handed a whole-life jail term in January.

A multi-agency public protection (MAPPA) review, involving the police, Berkshire Healthcare, and the probation service, is under way and is being led by an independent chair.

The memorial service, which will also be attended by those injured in the attack, witnesses and emergency services workers who responded on the day, will take place at 16:00 BST.

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