A woman whose cousin was murdered by a sex offender has organised an event in east London to warn of the consequences of violent crime.
More than 30 families who have lost loved ones to homicides will gather at Newham Town Hall to tell their harrowing stories.
Around 40 per cent of them have lost loved ones to knife crime, said organiser Ayse Hussein.
“Knife crime is getting worse and we’ve got to bring it to a halt,” she said.
Ayse’s cousin Mihrican Mustafa – a former West Ham United FC waitress, known as Jan – was found decomposing in 2019 in the freezer of a registered sex offender's home who police were supposed to have been monitoring. He had strangled her to death.
Ayse now runs an organisation called Jan’s Legacy, which helps families who lose loved ones to violent crimes.
At the organisation’s event in December, families affected by sexually-motivated crimes, honour-based killings, road rage incidents and gang murders will meet the public.
They will include the families of Grace Millane, the British backpacker murdered in New Zealand in 2018; Jodie Chesney, stabbed to death in Harold Hill in 2019; and Kamran Khalid, knifed to death in an Ilford road rage incident in 2021.
Also attending will be the family of Jack Taylor, the final victim of Barking serial killer Stephen Port, and relatives of Zara Aleena, who was sexually assaulted and beaten to death in Ilford last year.
The event, called The Table of Love and Loss, will be held from 1pm until 4.30pm on Sunday, December 3, upstairs at Newham Town Hall in East Ham.
Each of the roughly 35 participating families will have a table, where they can hand out literature and speak to attendees.
The free event is open to everybody with no booking or tickets required.
In addition to the grieving families, more than 20 organisations will have stands, including the Met Police, the probation service and youth organisations which steer young people away from crime.
The event is now in its second year, having launched in 2022 with guest speaker Jess Phillips MP.
This year’s guest speaker will be victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman, herself a former stalking victim.
Ayse said she was proud that Jan’s Legacy was supporting affected families, bringing them together and raising awareness.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here