Reading stabbings: Khairi Saadallah to appeal sentence

A man who stabbed three men to death in a Reading park is seeking permission to appeal his whole-life jail term.

Khairi Saadallah murdered friends James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and 39-year-old Joe Ritchie-Bennett in June last year in Forbury Gardens.

He was sentenced in January after admitting the murders and also pleading guilty to the attempted murders of three other men in the park.

The 27-year-old will appear at London's Court of Appeal on 14 October.

Passing sentence at the Old Bailey in London, judge Mr Justice Sweeney said it was a "ruthless and brutal" terror attack.

The court heard Saadallah "executed" the men as an "act of religious jihad".

The judge added the victims "had no chance to react, let alone defend themselves".

He said he was sure the attack "involved a substantial degree of premeditation or planning" and was carried out "for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause".

On the afternoon of 20 June, the park was busy due to the first lockdown restrictions being relaxed in England.

Witness Andrew Cafe described Saadallah wielding the "biggest kitchen knife" and charging towards him shouting "Allahu Akbar".

Mr Furlong, a teacher, and pharmaceutical manager Mr Ritchie-Bennett each suffered single stab wounds to the neck, while scientist Mr Wails was stabbed once in the back.

All three men died at the scene.

The knifeman also injured three other people - Nishit Nisudan, Patrick Edwards and Stephen Young - before he threw away the knife and fled the scene.

The court heard Saadallah had viewed extremist material on his phone, including images of Jihadi John.

During the trial, the prosecution claimed he feigned mental illness in police interviews and the judge said it was "clear that the defendant did not, and does not, have any major mental illness".

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].