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HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

Widow of ‘perfect’ dad stabbed to death by schizophrenic on doorstep calls for probe into NHS failings which led to her husband’s murder

Jeroen Ensink had been a dad for just 11 days when he was brutally killed on his way to post letters announcing the birth of his baby girl

A WIDOW whose husband was violently stabbed to death by a mentally ill man just days after their baby girl was born has called for an inquest into his death.

New dad Jeroen Ensink was stabbed to death by Femi Nandap while on his way to deliver cards announcing the birth of his precious baby daughter, Fleur, with his family now calling for a full investigation into the failings of the mental health and legal systems.

 Nadja Ensink with her husband Dr Jeroen Ensink, with the mother now calling for questions to be answered over the stabbing death of her husband
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Nadja Ensink with her husband Dr Jeroen Ensink, with the mother now calling for questions to be answered over the stabbing death of her husbandCredit: PA:Press Association

Jeroen's wife, Nadja Ensink-Teich, has now been left to raise their baby girl without her husband, bravely standing up for answers.

She told the : "Jeroen's death did not need to happen.

"In my opinion, it could have been prevented. He (Nandap) clearly needed help. Why did he not get it?"

 Nadja Ensink told the Old Bailey that her life had been changed forever after her husband was killed
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Nadja Ensink told the Old Bailey that her life had been changed forever after her husband was killedCredit: PA:Press Association
 Mentally-ill Femi Nandap who has admitted at the Old Bailey stabbing renowned academic, Dr Jeroen Ensink, to death on his doorstep 11 days after he had become a father
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Mentally-ill Femi Nandap who has admitted at the Old Bailey stabbing renowned academic, Dr Jeroen Ensink, to death on his doorstep 11 days after he had become a fatherCredit: PA:Press Association

She said there were "lots of missed chances" to help the young man who violently attacked her 41-year-old husband just days after Christmas last year, leaving the new father's blood staining the pavement and the cards he was about to post.

Nandap had been facing charges of having a knife and assaulting a police officer, with the charges dropped just six days before the killing due to "insufficient evidence".

Questions were also raised over why Nandap, who had a history of mental illness and psychosis triggered by heavy cannabis use, had not been prosecuted for breaching his bail conditions by going to Nigeria.

The 37-year-old said her husband, who was an internationally respected scientist, had often spoken about the provisions made for mental health patients and the problems that society faced if the system broke down.

She said: "My husband was passionate about taking responsibility for your actions and saying sorry if you make a mistake. He tried to live his life by that and I think others should, too."

Nandap, 23 has now been given an indefinite hospital order after admitting to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Nadja bravely faced the man who claimed her husband's life in court earlier this week, telling the Old Bailey that she missed the "what could have been".

She said: "I will miss the life I was supposed to have.

"Not only was the love of my life taken from me, but with him also all of our hopes and dreams."

The family had just 11 days together, with the the bereaved mother now making her baby girl her focus.

She said: "Of course, I’m angry inside, but I don’t want to be hard or bitter – though I have every right to be - because negative feelings won’t harm him in the least.

"They will harm me and my daughter. If I harbour negative thoughts, I can’t be the mother I want to be. Both of us believed in the goodness of the world and people.  That is how we wanted to raise our daughter."

 Nadja said her husband, Jeroen Ensink, was the perfect father but had only been with his baby girl for 11 days before his death
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Nadja said her husband, Jeroen Ensink, was the perfect father but had only been with his baby girl for 11 days before his deathCredit: PA:Press Association
 Nadja said she struggled to come to terms with the fact she would not be able to build a life with her husband
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Nadja said she struggled to come to terms with the fact she would not be able to build a life with her husbandCredit: PA:Press Association

The mother said her husband had been the perfect father, saying her daughter was always going to be "a Daddy's girl".

She said while she had wanted to stay in the couple's home in London, the knowledge her husband had been killed just yards form their front door had become too much.

Now raising her daughter in her native Netherlands, she said she wanted her daughter to know how

The family is now raising money for scholarships

A account has also been set up to support the family.


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