The brother of one of the victims of the Reading terror attack has emotionally told an inquest the family calendar has been “locked in time” since his death.

Joseph Ritchie-Bennett was killed alongside James Furlong and David Wails on June 20 2020 in Forbury Gardens by Libyan refugee Khairi Saadallah.

The full inquest into their deaths began at the Old Bailey on Monday, where distant CCTV footage of the killings was played to the court as well as recordings of distressing 999 calls.

ALSO READ: Live: Inquest begins into Reading terror attack

Risk posed by terrorist before Reading attacks to face inquest scrutiny

After senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Oliver Wright had taken the court through the events leading up to the attacks, Robert Ritchie delivered a pen portrait of his brother via video link from the United States.

He said: “Joe was a blessing to the entire world.

“To know Joe was to love Joe. We have never met anyone who didn’t love Joe.

“His mere presence made you smile. It took very little effort on his part to make you laugh.

“We were having a hard time finding the correct words for this tribute to Joe, so we decided to focus on how Joe lived – not how he died, as that would do a dishonour to this great man, whom we loved every day of his life for 39 years, and whom we are proud to call our son, brother and uncle, but most importantly – our friend.”

Mr Ritchie said he was thankful that his final words to his brother were “I love you” during a phone call six days before his murder.

He concluded his pen portrait by saying: “Rest in peace, Joe.”

Mr Ritchie said: “This should have never happened to you. We have missed you every day of our lives since June 20 2020, and we always will.”

Mr Ritchie said his mother and father “still have a calendar on the refrigerator that is locked in time” since his brother’s murder.

He continued: “There is a hole in our hearts and a void that will never be filled since you were taken from us. Time has stood still for the Ritchie family.

“They say people move on. We have not been able to move on without Joe. It has been too painful.”

Three other people: Stephen Young, Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan; were also injured before Saadallah threw away the 8in (20cm) knife and ran off, pursued by an off-duty police officer.

In January 2021, the killer was handed a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to three murders and three attempted murders.

Judge Coroner Sir Adrian Fulford, overseeing the inquest, said the evidence the court will hear will “undoubtedly be challenging to listen to”.

Before the full inquest began, Gary Furlong, father of James Furlong, told reporters the victims’ families want to be “reassured that no stone has been left unturned in the quest for answers about how the murders of our loved ones could have taken place”.

He said: “We will be listening carefully as the many public bodies that have been called to give evidence at the inquest into our sons’ deaths must give a full account of their dealings with Saadallah.

“We trust Judge Coroner Sir Adrian Fulford to conduct a thorough and fearless inquest over the next six weeks.

“When the process concludes, in February, we want to be reassured that no stone has been left unturned in the quest for answers about how the murders of our loved ones could have taken place.

“Nothing can bring back James, David and Joseph, but we owe it to them to find honest answers about whether their deaths could have been avoided and what could have been done to save us from their loss.”

Mr Wright, of Thames Valley Police, also gave evidence from the witness box on Monday in which he said Saadallah was “pretty indiscriminate” in who he targeted in the attacks.

Counsel to the inquest, Nicholas Moss KC, asked the officer for his assessment on why Saadallah could be seen giving money away to charity before the killings, to which he replied: “I assess that was him cleansing himself and preparing himself for jihad.”

Addressing whether or not homophobia was a motivation for the murders, Mr Wright told the court: “My assessment was that KS targeted these victims because of where they were, not because of who they were.”

Mr Wright agreed with Mr Moss that the victims had “no chance to react, let alone defend themselves”.

The inquest heard that 38 999 calls were made after the attacks and one was played to the court in which a distressed member of the public said: “Just get loads of police here now, do it now.”

The full inquest will look at the management of Saadallah while in prison and on probation, as well as his mental health.

The assessment and response to his risk of terrorism before the attacks will also come under scrutiny.

The inquest, which is scheduled to last six weeks, continues.