Sir David Amess
(Picture: PA Media)Sir David Amess’s family say they will “never get over the tragedy” of losing the 69-year-old after his killer was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
Ali Harbi Ali, 26, was sentenced to a whole life order by Mr Justice Sweeney after he murdered Sir David in his Southend West constituency last October.
In a statement, read by assistant commissioner Matt Jukes, the family said they will continue to struggle with the loss of their husband and father.
“There is no elation in our family today following this sentencing. Our amazing husband and father has been taken from us in an appalling and violent manner.
“Nothing will ever compensate for that. We will wake each day and immediately feel our loss. We will struggle through each day for the rest of our lives.
"Our last thought before sleep will be of David. We will forever shed tears for the man we have lost. We shall never get over this tragedy.
"It breaks our heart to know that our husband and father would have greeted the murderer with a smile of friendship and would have been anxious to help.”
The family then asked for privacy as they rebuild their lives.
The judge said there were no mitigating circumstances as he issued his sentence, and commended Sir David’s family for how they had dealt with their loss in a trial where Ali refused to admit guilt.
Sir David was stabbed 21 times by Ali during his constituency surgery at the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea on October 15, 2021 after the defendant posed as a man who had recently moved to the area.
In a separate statement, Mr Jukes added: “The conclusion of the trial ends this chapter and going forward Sir David and the family will remain in our hearts.
Describing Ali as “a cold, calculated and dangerous individual”, Mr Jukes said: “Sir David’s death was an attack on democracy and we will never let terrorists prevail.”
During the hearing, prosecutor Tom Little described Ali as a “fanatical, radicalised Islamist terrorist”.
The 26-year-old Londoner told the trial he did not regret killing the veteran Southend West MP and said the cause of his actions were due to the air strikes on Syria in 2014 and 2015.
The court was told he had planned to attack other MPs, including Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and Finchley MP, Mike Freer, who both gave witness impact statements.
The jury took just 18 minutes to unanimously convict Ali of all charges brought against him on December 11.
Ali joins a select group of Britain’s most notorious criminals who are serving whole life sentences, including Jo Cox’s killer Thomas Mair, former PC Wayne Couzens who raped and murdered Sarah Everard, and Grindr serial killer Stephen Port.
