Home Office dealt with Reading terrorist with ‘woeful inadequacy’ before attack

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The director of the Home Office’s Foreign National Offenders Returns Command, Jane Sutton, said the quality of work and interactions with the Libyan refugee “fell below the standards that would have been expected”. There are a number of errors that were made throughout KS's engagement with the Home Office and the immigration department and at times the quality of our work and interactions with him fell below the standards that would have been expected Jane Sutton, FNORC Two prison associates of Saadallah gave statements to the inquest in which both spoke of his desire to kill people and of his “obvious” mental health issues. Giving evidence to the inquest, she said: “There are a number of errors that were made throughout KS’s engagement with the Home Office and the immigration department and at times the quality of our work and interactions with him fell below the standards that would have been expected.” Counsel to the inquest Nicholas Moss KC asked: “Did it, at times, fall well below the standard?” Ms Sutton replied: “Yes.” Mr Moss continued: “On multiple occasions?” Ms Sutton said: “Yes.” Continuing the questioning, the families’ legal representative, Peter Skelton KC, said some people would say there was “woeful inadequacy” in the way the Home Office dealt with Saadallah in the years leading up to the attack. “From my understanding, would do something if given the chance.” Director of Prevent Michael Stewart said he and his colleagues went to work in the Home Office to prevent attacks such as Forbury Gardens, but added: “We know that we will not always be able to do so, but that does not make us any less sorry for a case like this.” In January 2021, Saadallah was handed a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to three murders and three attempted murders.