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EXCLUSIVE: "My son's dead body was left on the cold ground in the rain; I have no sympathy for his killer." Father of murdered hero chef Daniel Mitchell-Monroe speaks out.
Weds 26th April 2017, Yellow Advertiser

THE FATHER of a local hero, stabbed to death in Basildon town centre, has said he feels no sympathy for his son’s killer.

Joram Bakumanya, 23, was given a life sentence last week and told he will serve a minimum of 25 years for the murder of Daniel Mitchell-Monroe.

The 37-year-old chef died defending his niece in Market Pavement on the evening of June 28, 2016, after intervening when Bakumanya began threatening her.

In an exclusive interview with the Yellow Advertiser, Daniel’s father David Monroe, 67, spoke for the first time about learning of his son’s death.

He said: “I’d just got home from playing dominoes in London. My friend called and said, ‘There’s been an incident in town and I think Daniel got hurt’. Before I’d even hung up, the door knocked. I answered and the person said, ‘I’m really sorry but Daniel’s just died’.”

Mr Monroe rushed to the town centre: “Daniel’s body was still on the ground. The police said they were waiting for the coroner to come. I wasn’t very impressed because it was cold and raining. He ended up laying there until about 11 o’clock. I had to leave. I couldn’t stay there, looking at my son’s body laying on the cold ground.”

Bakumanya initially told police Daniel was a ‘saint’ and he had killed him ‘for no reason’, but at trial he pleaded self-defence.

He claimed he had been kidnapped and almost raped by a gang days before the killing and had then received death threats on the morning of the killing.

He said he had been on edge and overreacted, fearing Daniel was trying to kill him.

Mr Monroe said: “When he got on the stand, I think that got to the family. He was just talking a load of rubbish. I have no sympathy for him. If, for instance, it was an accident and he had grabbed something to defend himself, then maybe. But this was not the first time he’d carried a weapon. His whole life seemed to revolve around violence. He has caused serious bodily harm in the past. So I’ve got no sorrow for him whatsoever.”

Chelmsford Crown Court heard last week that Bakumanya had prior convictions for robbery, ABH and carrying a knife.

Judge Patricia Lynch praised Daniel’s family for their ‘dignity’ throughout the trial.

Mr Monroe said: “We all were on our best behaviour. If we could have got to him and killed him there and then, I think we would have liked to. But you can’t do anything because then you’ve come down to his level. It’s a matter of dignity for Daniel. You don’t want to do anything to disrupt his memory. To do anything like that is just going to be disgraceful.”

Mr Monroe said his anger towards Bakumanya was intensified by the killer causing constant delays.

He refused to leave his prison cell for his plea hearing and sacked his defence team on the first day of his trial, opting to represent himself and then banning the judge from looking at his defence records.

The papers included a psychiatric report commissioned by his former lawyers. Barred from reading it, Judge Lynch had to order her own, which delayed sentencing.

Four months later, Daniel’s family attended court for the sentencing but it was delayed further when Bakumanya again refused to leave his cell. He was eventually sentenced the following day.

Mr Monroe said: “To me, it seemed like he tried to make it as awkward as possible. He tried to hurt us all the way along.”

Of the sentence, he said: “You could never be happy with whatever sentence was given, because he’s taken your son’s life and all his hopes and dreams and aspirations are gone. But for the next 25 years he will be off the streets and quite a lot of people will be protected.”

Mr Monroe said his son had dreamed of teaching martial arts and training sous chefs.

Asked how he was coping without Daniel, he said: “He’s never really gone. He’s always there with me. Visually and physically he’s not there, but mentally and spiritually he never left. I always feel him here. We hear certain records and expect him to come leaping through the door. His memory will always be there. He’s not forgotten.”

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