London Pastor Offers Forgiveness to Daughter's Killer

A London pastor has offered forgiveness to the killer of his 18-year-old daughter, who was murdered in September 2006.

Ruth Okechukwu was stabbed in the heart last year, and this week the accused, Roberto Malasi, admitted to the killing, saying that he had done it because the victim had shown him "disrespect".

Malasi was also in court for the murder of another woman two weeks before, which took place at a christening in Peckham. He has been accused of shooting Zainab Kalokoh, 33, in the head with the help of his gang, according to The Church of England Newspaper.

In an extraordinary act of compassion, Pastor Okechukwu offered his forgiveness to his daughter's killer, saying that as a pastor he must forgive Roberto Malasi despite the horror of the situation.

He added that Malasi had "left an indelible scar on my heart" and he lamented that "Ruth would have been 20 a couple of days ago. Who knows what she could have achieved?"

Details of the killing revealed that Malasi had dragged Ruth Okechukwu from her car a day after she had apparently been listening in on one of his conversations.

Roberto Malasi is due to be sentenced along with other members of his gang in February.