Richard Whelan died in the early hours of July 29th 2005 only three weeks after one of his friends died during the July 7th bombings. He was stabbed to death while on the 43 bus in Islington, north London. Reading an eye-witness account of events directly after the attack made me swallow hard. Here was a description of a city that, at the time, had lost all hope. The city in this article was one where fear prevented ordinary decent people from becoming extraordinary decent people. Read The Guardian's article at your own leisure.

I've never forgotten this story. Any time I take a bus at night time in Islington, I think of Richard Whelan. I think of the man who refused to give his coat to give comfort to Richard Whelan's dying body.

Today, the Old Bailey heard how the accused, Anthony Leon Joseph, threw chips at Richard Whelan's girlfriend Kerry Barker. Richard Whelan confronted Joseph who responded by stabbing him seven times, once fatally in the heart. CCTV footage of the murderer eerily smirking as he left the bus was shown to the jury.

Before you give up on this city, it is worth pointing out that an article in today's Daily Mail quoted the prosecuting QC saying that "The people there did everything they could for him, but it was all in vain." A correction to The Guardian article now points out that this indeed was the case and that many people tried to help save the victim's life.

The trial continues.

tags:richard whelan

Published by Colm.