Family of four murder victims say whole life order would be ‘only fair’
Joshua Jacques was found guilty of the murders of Samantha Drummonds, Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, Dolet Hill and Denton Burke.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Loved ones of four members of the same family murdered in a drug-fuelled frenzy said their killer had shown no remorse and deserved to die in prison.
On Thursday, an Old Bailey jury found 29-year-old drug abuser Joshua Jacques guilty of the murders of his girlfriend Samantha Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill’s partner, Denton Burke, 58.
Jacques had attacked the victims with a knife at their home in Bermondsey, south London, last April 25.
Speaking outside the Old Bailey on Thursday, Tracey-Ann Henry described the impact of losing some of her closest family.
She said: “It’s affected me really bad because I lost my mum, sister, niece and stepdad. And I can’t sleep at night just worrying what the outcome going to be.”
“I’m spending my second Christmas without my family. So that is very going to be very emotional on Christmas Day.”
“Justice. Justice has been served (for) my mum, sister, niece and stepdad. So rest in peace. Finally. Finally.”
Mr Burke’s niece Chyloe Daley said the guilty verdict was a “very long time coming”.
She said: “Just the first word that comes is grateful. Sadness, but filled with joy because important things and people and lives were taken from us and today, we heard what we felt like we’ve waited over a year for.”
The two women agreed that Jacques should be given a whole life sentence and never released back into the community.
Ms Daley said: “That’s something that we can hope and we can pray for as a family. It’s up to the judge at the end of the day.
There is so much we could say, things that we want to share. They weren't just lives that were taken, but they were people and they lived and they were funny, and they were caring and they were giving. That's how we want to think about them from now on
“But four family members were taken and I just think it is the only thing we can ask for now.
“I think it’s at that level of seriousness. Yeah, it’s only fair.”
Ms Daley said attending court every day had been “extremely hard” for family members dealing with disabilities and other issues in their lives.
And throughout, she said Jacques had shown “no empathy” for what he had done or one “iota of emotion”.
She added: “At the end of the day..it wouldn’t have solved anything. It wouldn’t have brought those four members of our family back.”
On their lost loved ones, Ms Daley said: “There is so much we could say, things that we want to share. They weren’t just lives that were taken, but they were people and they lived and they were funny, and they were caring and they were giving. That’s how we want to think about them from now on.”
Other members of the family said they found it “hurtful” that Jacques had shown no remorse during the trial.