Father urges death penalty return

Mrs Kalokoh had fled violence in her native Sierra Leone

The father of a baby whose christening ended in murder has called for the return of the death penalty.

Alfred Sesay watched as Zainab Kalokoh, 33, was shot in the head by robbers as she cradled his six-month-old daughter.

He said: "The government must introduce capital punishment. You need to set an example that when you kill, you will be killed."

Four youths were found guilty at the Old Bailey of killing Mrs Kalokoh in Peckham, south London, in August 2005.

'Bang bang'

"It has had a terrible effect on all of us," Mr Sesay said. "We would not have thought we would experience anything like this in Britain."

At present it's just bang for a watch, bang for a mobile Alfred Sesay

His family sought refuge in the UK from war-torn Sierra Leone but Mr Sesay said he was shocked by the level of crime they found.

Mr Sesay had been an aspiring politician in his own country, where capital punishment is still used.

As he spoke of the family's grief, he wore a T-shirt with a print of Mrs Kalokoh's portrait which read "Sierra Leone United in Grief".

"One minute we were all laughing, talking and dancing, then suddenly we were crying. It was horrible," he said.

"[Zainab] lived for the family," he said. "She was respected and hard working."

He said witnessing gun crime first hand and hearing of daily shootings over very little convinced him the death penalty should return.

"If there was a death penalty, they would throw away their guns," he said. "At present it's just bang for a watch, bang for a mobile."