Man, wife and kids wiped out in the doomed MH 17
According to the Mirror UK, a top British lawyer died with his wife and three sons in the Flight MH17 horror, it has emerged.
John Allen, who worked on a string of landmark cases, perished alongside wife Sandra and boys Christopher, Ian and Julian when the Boeing 777 was shot out of the sky over Ukraine, reports the Sunday People.
John, 44, primary school teacher Sandra and their children aged between eight and 14 were on the doomed Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The family were en route to a dream holiday in Indonesia when they perished along with all 298 on board as a missile fired from rebel Russian territory exploded at 33,000ft.
Football and music fanatic John was the 10th and final British victim to be named after Thursday’s outrage.
His heartbroken sister Wonder Allen Smith said: “I lost my whole family, my only brilliant brother and his beautiful wife and three magnificent children.”
John had spent the past 18 years at top international law firm NautaDutilh and lived with his Dutch wife in Hilversum, a small town 20 miles from Amsterdam.
Colleague Bas Langenhuijsen added in a Twitter tribute: “John Allen and family, RIP. Unbelievable. Speechless.”
Pal Peter Bertens wrote: “RIP John, you were a great guy.”
A schoolfriend of Julian’s added on his Facebook page: “You are gone but still deep in our hearts, rest in peace.”
Another posted the soccer-mad youngster’s photo on Instagram with the message: “You were always funny and cheery. I’m so sorry.”
The family were pictured together happily enjoying a dinner while visiting relatives in Horgen, Switzerland, in February this year.
Mr Allen’s bosses at NautaDutilh said: “He was a person with many talents, and in addition to his professional contribution to our firm he generously shared his musical and athletic abilities with us as well.
“All of us who had the privilege of working with John came to know him as a kind, down-to-earth and humorous man and many of us have also lost a friend.
“He will be dearly missed.”
Parents and children at Sandra’s school – the Mr Kremer primary in Nederhorst den Berg – were left with “immense grief”.