The younger sons of a lady who died in a crowd crush on the O2 Academy in Brixton are beginning to ask: “Where is my mum?”
Rebecca Ikumelo’s boys, aged 5 and 7, are starting to understand their mom is not coming dwelling, her relations have stated.
Ms Ikumelo, 33, of Newham, east London, and safety employee Gaby Hutchinson, 23, of Gravesend, Kent, who was on obligation on the south London venue, each died days after being damage when ticketless followers tried to get right into a present by Nigerian Afrobeats artist Asake in December.
A 21-year-old lady remains to be critically sick in hospital.
Their grieving households are trying to find solutions as to how the crush occurred and have now appealed to the general public to assist with a police prison investigation into the lethal incident.
‘They are actually feeling their mum’s absence’
Ms Ikumelo’s father, Anthony, stated the household wished to see a primary sense of “compassion” and “respect” from everybody concerned to assist the investigation into what went incorrect on 15 December.
Organising extra live shows and occasions as a substitute – whereas there are nonetheless security considerations – can be a “further slap” to the kin, he added.
Mr Ikumelo added one of many causes his daughter died was “greed” and lamented the shortage of security measures on the day.
He stated: “It feels like greed is one of the reasons why my daughter died and why all the things that should have been in place for safety were not there.
“This is why everybody ought to be working with us, from the federal government down, to search out out what occurred and to stop it from taking place once more.
“We want those responsible prosecuted and eventually we want the government to make sure this will not happen to another family again.”
Yetunde Olodo stated Ms Ikumelo’s younger sons – her grandsons – are lacking their mum.
She defined: “They don’t understand what is happening but I am sure they are really feeling their mum’s absence.”
Questions over security and safety have to be answered, in response to Ms Ikumelo’s aunt Mary, who stated it was “a stampede and it is not the first time this has happened in the UK”.
She stated additional security measures ought to be put in place at future occasions.
She added: “We are very angry and upset.
“The individuals who assume that possibly they’ll get away with this – they have to be scared as a result of we’ll by no means cease as a household till justice prevails.”
Sale of ‘dodgy’ tickets contributed to tragedy
The other victim of the crush was 23-year-old security worker Gaby Hutchinson and her family also have many unanswered questions.
“Why was she inside? Why was there so many individuals? Why have been there so many individuals turning up? The venue was full and you’ve got folks exterior desirous to get in,” said her mother Chris.
Her daughter was “skilled to stroll across the [venue’s] perimeter and that was it,” she added.
While Ms Hutchinson’s sister Nina stated: “She did not die because of an accident like a car accident. She died at work and that should not have happened.”
She added: “I hope that for the people who were selling supposedly dodgy tickets that was worth it to them because ultimately it is [part of] what led to my sister’s death.
“There wouldn’t have been that extra of individuals there who didn’t have tickets, if you happen to didn’t do this.”
The family feel “worry” of concerts and similar events ever since Ms Hutchinson’s death, her sister added, and they now tried to avoid crowds.
Police investigation replace
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney stated the prison investigation was below method and potential offences being appeared into included “corporate manslaughter, criminal negligence manslaughter… health and safety at work offences, along with violent disorder”.
Mr Penney stated the police “are looking at every avenue to establish exactly what went wrong” and “have persons of interest” they’re probing.
He appealed to the “hundreds of people” on the occasion capturing the scenes on their telephones saying, “however insignificant it is, we want people to come forward with whatever they have”.
Source: information.sky.com”