The prestigious school struck by triple tragedy after yacht disaster, stabbing and Nottingham attack
School has seen three former or current pupils die in high-profile and tragic circumstances in little more than a year
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An east London school is grappling with the loss of a respected alumnus after British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch drowned when his superyacht capsized off the coast of Italy.
Yet for Bancroft’s School in Woodford Green, it marks the third high-profile death in the course of 14 months. Firstly, in June 2023, former pupil Grace O’Malley-Kumar was stabbed to death in Nottingham by Valdo Calocane.
Then, in April this year, pupil Daniel Anjorin, 14, was attacked and killed while walking in his school uniform.
The independent school is now once again in the headlines after 59-year-old Mr Lynch, who was the lead patron of the Bancroft Foundation, died in his boat the Bayesian, which sank during stormy weather on Monday morning.
The tycoon had attended Bancroft’s School after winning a scholarship at the age of 11, before going on to study at Christ’s College Cambridge.
He became a multi-millionaire after founding the software technology giant Autonomy in 1996 and had returned to the school to give keynote speeches and help with fundraising events.
On Thursday, he was confirmed dead with his 18-year-old daughter Hannah’s body recovered the following day.
Last June, the school community was left devastated after 19-year-old O’Malley-Kumar, an aspiring medic, was killed while heroically trying to protect her friend Barnaby Webber.
The two had been walking home from a night out to celebrate the end of university exams when they were ambushed by paranoid schizophrenic Calocane, who launched a merciless attack upon them both.
In a statement following her death, the school described her as “an immensely gifted and dedicated scholar and sportswoman”, who had been greatly respected within the community.
Less than one year later on 30 April, Daniel Anjorin was stabbed to death while he walked to school after being approached by a man with a sword.
The 14-year-old had been walking through Hainault in his school uniform when he was attacked.
Suspect Marcus Monzo, 36, was charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.
In a letter to parents at the time, the school’s headteacher, Simon Marshall, wrote: “Naturally this event will have a profound effect on the whole school, but this will be especially true of his peers.
“It seems scarcely believable that less than a year on from the terrible death of Grace O’Malley Kumar in the Nottingham attacks we are facing fresh sorrow.
“All we can do for now is to look after one another and respect the privacy of Daniel’s family. It is a time of profound grief and as a community we will endure best if we come together in kindness and compassion.”