Sabina Nessa’s sister has slammed the government and alleged their family would have received more help in general if they were a “normal British white family”.
Nessa was a primary school teacher who was murdered last September by a stranger while walking through a London park. Her death stunned the country, especially as it came just months after Sarah Everard was killed.
Yet, her sister Jebina Yasmin Islam said she and her relatives received no support from No.10 as people in senior government roles were “useless”.
She also pointed out that Everard’s death received significantly more press coverage while accusing home secretary Priti Patel of using Nessa’s name for “publicity reasons”.
Islam said she was supported by the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s community and MP Clive Efford, but not from those higher up.
Patel did tweet about Nessa on Friday when her murderer was sentenced, and expressed hope that the news brings her family “a small comfort, knowing this evil monster has faced justice”.
In her follow-up tweet, Patel said: “As home secretary, tackling violence against women and girls is central to my beating crime plan and I am doing everything in my power to target perpetrators, protect the public and make our streets safer for everyone.”
However, Islam told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that the government has “said nothing” to them.
“Priti Patel has done a tweet on Friday and I was not happy about it because all of a sudden she’s using my sister’s name for publicity reasons. And to be honest, she has no right,” Islam said.
She said Patel has not communicated with her family directly, and she cannot remember any communication from the government in general.
“They should have approached us to discuss what they can do to implement the roads being safe.”
She added: “They haven’t really approached us, the [family of the] victim, or the public to ask how we will feel safe on the streets.”
Islam took aim at the press as well, saying: “My sister didn’t get as much headlines, I feel, at the start. Maybe was it down to her ethnicity?”
Isam also compared Nessa’s horrifying death to Everard’s, noting: “She didn’t get the front pages on some of the papers, and in Sarah Everard’s case she did. I think it’s just down to our ethnicity, to be honest.
“And I feel like if we were a normal British white family we would have been treated equally, I guess.”
Nessa’s killer Koci Selamaj had travelled to London to carry out a premeditated attack on a random woman when he attacked the 28-year-old teacher.
He has just been jailed for at least 36 years. On Friday, he refused to go to the Old Bailey and so was jailed for life over his absence.
Islam said she felt Selamaj was a “coward” for not attending court to face his sentencing.
“it made me angry because I wanted him to hear our impact statement to show how much hurt he’s caused my family.”