A Letter from Temur
I spent much of the past two evenings sweating over flat pack furniture.
I’ve been making my daughter a new bed.
Every hour or so she pops in to see how it’s taking shape.
I moan about my back or the heat or the lack of space in her room but really and truly, it’s a privilege.
And it’s one of those things that I do, as a father, that I’m painfully aware Temur Qureshi will never do – and I know he would have loved to have had that chance.
I’m writing this on the evening of the 8th June, 2026 – today Temur would have turned 22.
His life was taken on 30th September, 2023.
Tomorrow (6 pm, 9th June), there is a film screening at The Curve, followed by a Q and A session with people whose lives have been profoundly affected by violence.
The film is by Miri de Villers and follows Temur’s mum, Tania, in her struggle with grief and her transition from victim to activist.
Tania’s courage and commitment to preventing more young people being harmed are so powerful and to have a filmmaker with Miri’s integrity capture Tania’s suffering and the start of her journey as a campaigner, it was the perfect match between subject and artist, at just the right moment in time.
The film is called A Letter from Temur because one of Temur’s legacies is a letter he wrote.
Temur had been introduced to me by his Personal Advisor within social services, to provide him with work experience and to give him something positive to do. He had been stuck at home for a variety of reasons, not least his frail health, caused by a terrible assault at Feltham YOI.
I read back the list of responsibilities I sent his Advisor and it sounds quite dull but Temur was enthusiastic and despite his brain injury, energetic:
a) Basic administration
b) Preparation of workshop materials
c) Collation of receipts and data entry
d) Supporting youth work delivery
It was the last point I was particularly interested in. Temur was a people person – confident, funny, engaging, insightful. I could see him being a youth worker. I could also see him sharing his experiences with other young people to educate them, raise awareness and keep them safe.
I asked him to write an awareness-raising presentation about his experiences for pupils coming to the end of their primary education. He made it a letter. And the letter now speaks to us all, beyond his passing.
In the aftermath of his death, I took the letter to meetings and shared it as widely as I could.
The letter allows everyone who knew Temur to hold on to what kind of person he was – kind, insightful, inspiring and caring. He didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way he had.
For those of us who want to prevent more young people being harmed, it’s the most powerful tool I’ve encountered against reductionist views of young people caught up in criminal exploitation.
You can’t read Temur’s letter without connecting with him, his regrets, reflections and hopes for the future. So much media coverage and conversations about young victims of knife crime are dehumanising. It leads to a passivity, where more dead children are responded to with a shrug by wider society. No one can read Temur’s letter and file him away under “just another dead roadman.” His kindness, warmth and care for others are there for all to see.
Temur always would have lived on through the people who knew him, his courageous friends and family. But thanks to his letter, his legacy is even greater. Thank you, Temur.
A Letter from Temur
Sadly this is a reality for far too many people, and it’s why we need to talk about the seriousness of knife crime violence and act upon it. The number of people killed with a knife in England and Wales in 2021/22 was the highest on record for 76 years. This is a pandemic and we need to find a cure. If there is no cure any sort of contribution to tackle this is always better than nothing. When someone picks up a knife to kill another person they’re not just hurting that person they’re destroying a whole family. A family who won’t live the same anymore. They’re leaving scars that you can’t see with your eyes. And will never be the same people again after their loss.
I was born in the Czech Republic and raised in Slough. Growing up, my family moved around a lot, but we eventually settled in our current home. Life at home was sometimes unpredictable, but I’ve always wanted to help my parents, who were working hard to provide for us. I would have done anything to make their lives easier. School was a safe place for me, and it’s a great place for anyone your age to be. I wish I had stayed in education, as it would have helped me avoid some of the challenges I’ve faced. If you’re feeling lost or unsure of what to do, just remember it’s okay to ask for help. There are many resources available to you, such as counsellors, teachers, and community organisations. You could also try to find new hobbies or interests that will keep you busy during the day. When I wanted to go out more and leave home and not come back for days this is really where I messed up. There was no point in me going out everyday, it never gave me any sort of benefit so why should any other young person do the same as me?
Looking back at those days even though it was not that long ago, I can really see that I was lost and didn’t have any proper guidance. But I’ll tell you right now it doesn’t have to be that way, we all have choices, make the right ones.
I should’ve thought twice before I did the things I had done. Now I have to live the rest of my life with a drain in my head that goes into my belly. And for what? Because I wanted an image on the streets? To get love and respect on the streets? Trust me there is no such thing as that on the streets. It’s an illusion. My old friend killed our other friend. Everything will eventually come back around like a boomerang. It may not be a week after committing a crime, a month or even a year but I know it always comes back around to bite you.
Sometimes it takes a difficult experience to make you realise what’s really important in life. After my time in hospital I decided I wanted out, I made some changes to my life and I want to tell you how those changes have led to a better life for me. First off, family, my mum’s stopped stressing. My relationship with my parents has gotten better. Let me tell you right now just spending time with your parents has to be one of the most important things in life. I’m lucky I’ve now realised this before it would’ve been too late for me. I’m also now volunteering with Together As One and I’m looking forward to engaging with more communities and charities to help with young people. I want to do this because I’ve seen what has happened to me, my closest family and friends and how it’s affected us, so why does another young person need to go through the same things when really and truly it’s all for nothing.
My hopes for the future is to just live a happy life to see my daughter grow up and be there for her all the way. I hope to see a decrease in young lives lost to the streets.
I have a few pieces of advice for you to take with you. Never make the same mistake twice and listen to your parents, they know best.