The younger sons of a lady who died in a crowd crush on the O2 Academy in Brixton are beginning to ask: “Where is my mum?”
Rebecca Ikumelo’s boys, aged 5 and 7, are starting to understand their mom is not coming residence, her members of the family have stated.
Ms Ikumelo, 33, of Newham, east London, and safety employee Gaby Hutchinson, 23, of Gravesend, Kent, who was on responsibility on the south London venue, each died days after being damage when ticketless followers tried to get right into a present by Nigerian Afrobeats artist Asake in December.
A 21-year-old lady remains to be critically unwell in hospital.
Their grieving households are trying to find solutions as to how the crush occurred and have now appealed to the general public to assist with a police felony investigation into the lethal incident.
‘They are actually feeling their mum’s absence’
Ms Ikumelo’s father, Anthony, stated the household needed to see a primary sense of “compassion” and “respect” from everybody concerned to assist the investigation into what went incorrect on 15 December.
Organising extra concert events and occasions as an alternative – whereas there are nonetheless security issues – could be a “further slap” to the relations, he added.
Anthony Ikumelo, 63, father, and Wale Ikumelo, 31, brother, of Rebecca Ikumelo, 33
Mr Ikumelo added one of many causes his daughter died was “greed” and lamented the dearth of security measures on the day.
He stated: “It feels like greed is one of the reasons why my daughter died and why all the things that should have been in place for safety were not there.
“This is why everybody ought to be working with us, from the federal government down, to seek out out what occurred and to stop it from taking place once more.
“We want those responsible prosecuted and eventually we want the government to make sure this will not happen to another family again.”
Rebecca Ikumelo of Newham. Pic: Met Police
Yetunde Olodo stated Ms Ikumelo’s younger sons – her grandsons – are lacking their mum.
She defined: “They don’t understand what is happening but I am sure they are really feeling their mum’s absence.”
Questions over security and safety must be answered, in accordance with Ms Ikumelo’s aunt Mary, who stated it was “a stampede and it is not the first time this has happened in the UK”.
She stated additional security measures ought to be put in place at future occasions.
She added: “We are very angry and upset.
“The individuals who suppose that possibly they will get away with this – they must be scared as a result of we’ll by no means cease as a household till justice prevails.”
Sale of ‘dodgy’ tickets contributed to tragedy
The other victim of the crush was 23-year-old security worker Gaby Hutchinson and her family also have many unanswered questions.
“Why was she inside? Why was there so many individuals? Why have been there so many individuals turning up? The venue was full and you have folks exterior eager to get in,” said her mother Chris.
Her daughter was “educated to stroll across the [venue’s] perimeter and that was it,” she added.
Gaby Hutchinson died while working on the occasion
While Ms Hutchinson’s sister Nina stated: “She did not die because of an accident like a car accident. She died at work and that should not have happened.”
She added: “I hope that for the people who were selling supposedly dodgy tickets that was worth it to them because ultimately it is [part of] what led to my sister’s death.
“There wouldn’t have been that extra of individuals there who didn’t have tickets, for those who didn’t do this.”
The family feel “concern” of concerts and similar events ever since Ms Hutchinson’s death, her sister added, and they now tried to avoid crowds.
Chris Hutchinson, 60, mom, and Nina Hutchinson, 32, sister, of Gaby Hutchinson, 23, who died following a crowd crush exterior an Asake live performance on the Brixton O2 Academy in London
Police investigation replace
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney stated the felony investigation was underneath means and potential offences being seemed into included “corporate manslaughter, criminal negligence manslaughter… health and safety at work offences, along with violent disorder”.
Mr Penney stated the police “are looking at every avenue to establish exactly what went wrong” and “have persons of interest” they’re probing.
He appealed to the “hundreds of people” on the occasion capturing the scenes on their telephones saying, “however insignificant it is, we want people to come forward with whatever they have”.
Content Source: information.sky.com