'Missed opportunities' to protect fatal stab victim

A teenager who was stabbed to death had previously urged a youth worker to move him to safety in another area, a report has said.

Temur Qureshi felt his life would be in danger if he remained in Slough, according to a social services inquiry.

The 19-year-old died after he was attacked in the town in September 2023.

The report, for Slough Safeguarding Partnership, said authorities "missed opportunities" to protect the teenager and to intervene with his attacker Jack Patterson, who was later jailed for manslaughter.

Qureshi, named as "A" in the report, was supported by authorities after a brutal attack by five teenagers at Feltham Young Offender Institution in July 2022.

He was airlifted to hospital where his prognosis was initially poor, the review said.

His brain injury subsequently made him forgetful and in need of constant care, it recorded.

Qureshi was also dealing with the loss of his best friend, Abdul Aziz Ansari, who was fatally stabbed two months earlier, the report said.

The 19-year-old's mother told investigators: "He was living in fear and no-one was listening to him.

"He was very afraid that he would be killed, and he told many people this... He wanted a place outside of Slough as he did not feel safe here."

A youth worker tried to support the move but was rebuffed by the council's housing department, the report found.

"He was not considered as a victim or as an adult needing safeguarding although all partners now agree that he was both," reviewers said.

They added that there were "several missed opportunities" for authorities to form constructive relationships with Qureshi and Patterson, which could have led to better support.

"Much more work is needed to respond to housing wishes, needs and risk factors in the lives of Slough residents," the report concluded.

It added that the government should "invest in prevention and early support, especially in Youth Work" to prevent similar tragedies.

A film, A Letter From Temur, featuring his reflections on his life before he died, was screened in Slough in June.