‘It’s a sad day, my heart is crying’

Thousands of mourners yesterday attended a funeral prayer service for a mother and her three children who died in a suspected arson attack.

An estimated 7,000 people gathered in Leicester’s Spinney Hill Park to pay their respects to the memory of Shehnila Taufiq, 47, and her three teenage children, Zainab, Bilal and Jamil.

Mrs Taufiq’s husband, Dr Muhammad Taufiq al-Sattar, was among those who addressed the half-hour service, thanking mourners and police for their support since the deaths of his wife and children.