Life-long friend’s tribute to his ‘sense of moral justice’

Richard Whelan, back left standing next to family friend John Burke. Front row (from right) John Forsythe, family friend Sheila Buckley, Julia Forsythe, family friend Michael Donagher and Paul Forsythe

A LIFE-LONG friend of Richard Whelan, who died after being stabbed on the No 43 bus two weeks ago, has praised his “sense of moral justice and fair play”.
Mr Whelan, 28, from Kentish Town, was stabbed in front of his girlfriend on the bus in Holloway and died soon after at Whittington Hospital in Archway.
Paul Forsythe, 30, grew up with Mr Whelan in Gaisford Street, Kentish Town. He said: “I’m just gutted. This country needs blokes like Richard. He never crossed the line, had a good sense of moral justice and fair play and was the backbone of England.”
Mr Forsythe’s mother, Julia, 64, described how Mr Whelan had proved a great listener when she was diagnosed with cancer. He drew on his own experiences, having lost his mother when he was aged 11.
After her diagnosis in 1998, she and Mr Whelan would often sit in her kitchen deep in conversation. She said: “I really wanted him to be in a photo taken of us in the morning before I went in for chemotherapy. To lose him is just inconsolable.”
Mrs Forsythe had seen Mr Whelan only a week before his death, as she was about to leave on a trip to Lourdes.
She said: “Before I went to Lourdes, Richard looked up at me, smiled and wished me a wonderful holiday. I heard about his death when I went to Mass on the Saturday night, the day after he was killed. I just couldn’t believe it.”
Mrs Forsythe told how Mr Whelan supported her sons Paul and John after the death of their father, even coaxing John from his room when he refused to come out.
Paul and John, 29, revealed how devastated they are by the death of their close friend. As children, the inseparable trio of Richard, Paul and John would play football in Cantelowes Park and rollerskate in nearby Hammond Street.
The three boys all attended Finchley Roman Catholic High School and met up every morning to get the Tube to school from Kentish Town station. Paul said: “He had a calm confidence and a great sense of humour. He was one of the constants in your life.”
n Anthony Leon Joseph, 20, of no fixed address, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with the murder of Richard Whelan. He was remanded in custody and will stand trial at the Old Bailey in November.