The father of among the 3 victims of the knife attack in Reading has actually explained his son as “marvellous, loving and caring” and “like a magnet”, bringing people together.

Robert Ritchie, a retired authorities primary inspector, was talking to Sky News from the family home in the United States city of Philadelphia.

He said of his son Joe Ritchie-Bennett: “Well he was an outright wonderful person. Caring, caring individual. We explained him as practically like a magnet, he simply brought people together.

” And everybody who understood him and met him I might really state ended up being good friends with him.”

Mr Ritchie-Bennett, 39, was stabbed and eliminated in a Reading park on Saturday night in an event being dealt with as “terror associated”

Mr Ritchie said he and his other half, Charlene, last talked to their son on Friday night.

“I spoke to him almost every day so I last spoke to him Friday, the day before he was murdered.”

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“He was fine. He was great. He was telling us his plans for the weekend and he was always excited and enthusiastic about everything that he did,” Mr Ritchie said.

Mr Ritchie-Bennett was born and raised in Pennsylvania and after college in Toronto, Canada, he relocated to the UK.

“There was a group of them – they were friends and they went to the UK and some of them live in London and Joe wound up in Reading,” his father said.

Cops arrest Reading terror attack suspect

“And he met his partner there, Ian Bennett. And he initially worked for a law firm in London and so he used to commute by train and then about 10 years ago, he started work for a pharmaceutical company whose UK headquarters is in Reading. So that was a real break for him”

Mr Ritchie-Bennett wed Ian Bennett in the UK in November2006 Mr Bennett passed away, aged 32, in 2014, after a brief fight with colon cancer.

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Reviewing journeys to Reading to see his son, Mr Ritchie said: “We have actually been with him because park, his mom and I. We have actually been all around Reading and I believe it’s a charming location. We constantly took pleasure in checking out there.

” It was his embraced nation. His embracedhome My sense is that he liked it and whatever about it. He liked the United States. He had a excellent youth here and still delighted in lots of, lots of good friends here in Philadelphia.”

As good friends and neighbours provided flowers and food to the family house, Mr Ritchie said: “This has actually been a few of the worst days of my life, you understand, hearing that my son was killed.

” We have had some sleep deprived nights and you understand whatever is still to be identified and you understand nevertheless this will play out etc and you understand we’re gon na bring him back here and bury him here since we desire him nearby.

“I want to be able to visit his grave for his birthday and Christmas and things like that. That’s about what we are left with at this point.”

Image:
Law enforcement officer are examining the attack in Reading

As the discussion drew to a close, Mr Ritchie said he thought of his son and his hubby were together as soon as again.

“They certainly are. I picture them in beach chairs, sipping margaritas looking at the sunset over the Serengeti. They used to love to travel.”

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