Former gang member and convict Rosca Onya has released a tribute single to honour Jack Merritt on the anniversary of his death in the London Bridge terror attack.
Jack’s father Dave Merritt told Sky News the single – ‘Jack’ – was a “bright spark” after what’s been a difficult year.
“It’s really cheered us up,” he added.
Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were murdered on 29 November last year in a terror attack at a conference held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the prison education organisation Learning Together where the pair worked.
This weekend marks the first anniversary of Jack’s death
Rosca said Jack ‘stood out straight away’ when they met and that he ‘owes his life’ to him
They were stabbed by Usman Khan, who was out on prison licence when he attended the event at Fishmonger Hall in central London armed with two kitchen knives and wearing a fake suicide vest.
He was tackled by members of the public before being shot dead on London Bridge by armed police.
It was through the Learning Together scheme that Rosca, now a rising star on the UK rap scene, and Jack Merritt became friends.
Rosca remembers Jack as a “beautiful, beautiful soul” who was “fair” and “compassionate”.
In an interview with Sky News, Rosca recounts how Jack helped him prepare for his parole hearings and then helped him develop his music career when he was released from prison in 2018.
“He would come in [to prison] every now and then, I’d see him and we’d talk,” Rosca recalls.
“When we didn’t get my parole, me, him and one of our professors were in a hallway on the wing. I was crying and Jack started crying and my other professor from Cambridge started crying.
Jack’s family is feeling ‘apprehensive and emotional’ about the milestone
“In that moment I looked at them and I thought wow you actually feel my pain with me and you’re here bearing your all.
“Up to that point me and Jack were friends, but the moment he cried for my pain that’s the moment our bond became stronger. In that moment he showed me that everything that he wanted for himself he also wanted it for me.”
Rosca had a troubled life and traumatic childhood.
Caught up in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, his parents were imprisoned and he was sent to a refugee camp with his siblings when he was five.
His older brother was murdered and his sister went missing. A child refugee, he travelled through three countries before the Red Cross reunited Rosca and his siblings with his parents in south London when he was nine.
Speaking no English and suffering from PTSD, Rosca struggled at school and soon became prey for gangs. Recruited when he was just 10, five years later he was fighting for his life in hospital after being stabbed 17 times in a gang attack.
“I was in a coma for three days, I’m lucky to be here speaking to you.”
Rosca says he was a “confused, lost young man”, but couldn’t see a way out of his predicament.
“Where would I go, what would I do, where am I going, where am I going to turn to? How am I going to survive, how am I going to feed myself? All these things went through my head.”
When he was 18 he was sent to prison for carrying a gun.
Through counselling, rehabilitation programmes and the Learning Together education scheme, Rosca turned his life around and says Jack played a huge part in his life.
He now wants to use his music and experience to help others in difficult situations and be a champion of social justice.
“My music is to be a voice for them and show them that you can go wrong in life due to what you’ve been through but that’s not the be all and end all.
“You have to let people in, you have to try and change things and be a better version of yourself because you can’t live in the past.”
Dave Merritt said he met Rosca at Jack’s funeral and formed a friendship with Rosca visiting the Merritts at their home in Cambridge.
“Rosca told me early on that he was doing a song for Jack and we thought that’s really great. But I never imagined it would be as good as it is and the video that goes with it as well is so touching.
“It’s hard to watch sometimes, but it’s lovely.
“You don’t know a lot of what your kids do at work,” Mr Merritt told Sky News. “Jack didn’t talk in detail about the people he worked with and to find out about all this stuff after his death does make you incredibly proud.
“And to see the effect he’s had on someone like Rosca as well. But as I said before, Rosca’s also done the work. He has to commit to it and Jack was there to help him and mentor him and guide him along the way, but I think what he’s done is remarkable.”
On Sunday, to mark the anniversary of Jack’s death, his family and friends will celebrate his life by doing something creative on the day via #creatingwithjackmerritt.
“We’re feeling as you can imagine; a bit apprehensive, quite emotional about it but we’re approaching it head on,” said Mr Merritt.
Jack’s dad Dave said he was ‘incredibly proud’ of the work his son did
“We want to remember the good things about Jack and his life and to celebrate him.”
The inquest into the London Bridge terror attack is scheduled to be held next April when the families of the victims will want to get answers about what happened and what lessons might be learned.
Meanwhile, the Merritt family have issued legal proceedings against the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the High Court over Jack’s death.
Their solicitor said on Friday the family had been left with “no alternative” but to issue proceedings shortly before the one-year limit for claims brought under the Human Rights Act.
The family’s solicitor said families normally agree a “limitation holiday” so that proceedings do not have to be considered until after all the investigations are completed, including an inquest, but in this instance the Justice and Home department did not agree to a limitation holiday.
“Regrettably, this left the family with no alternative but to turn their minds to protecting their positions by issuing proceedings, at a time they were otherwise focusing their attention on celebrating Jack’s life on the anniversary of his death,” said Kate Maynard, a partner at Hickman and Rose.
She also added that civil cases are “often” resolved after an inquest “without involving the courts at all”.