The bereft parents of one of the ‘Three Musketeers’ graffiti artists killed by a train today revealed their last words to their son were: ‘Happy painting’.
Perry Hood and Susie Begg also pleaded with others not to put themselves in danger after Harrison Scott-Hood, 23, died on a stretch of track with ‘no escape’.
Their son, who used the tag ‘Lover’, was killed with Alberto Carrasco, 19, known as ‘Trip’, and Jack ‘K-Bag’ Gilbert, 23, at around 1am on Monday morning between Brixton and Loughborough Junction stations in south London.
Speaking to the Evening Standard from their Muswell Hill home they said they knew their ‘beautiful’ boy was a graffiti artist – but had no idea he worked on railway lines.
Mr Hood said: ‘When he left [on Sunday] I said to him ‘happy painting’. As far as we were concerned he was going to places where it was legal. The only thing I think of why they might do it on those areas occasionally is that at [the legal walls] someone else will come along and paint over it’.
Perry Hood and Susie Begg have spoken of their shock and grief after losing their son this week
Harrison Scott-Hood’s parents (pictured with mother Susie) today revealed their final words to their son before he was killed by the train along with two friends
Harry (left) who was known as ‘Lover’ (right spray painting) in the graffiti community, travelled to Loughborough Junction, south London from Muswell Hill
The final hours of their lives have started to emerge as it appears they walked up the railway line and were killed close to their final artwork together
Ms Begg, an art agent, added: ‘We knew Harry was painting. He was beyond talented. He loved what he did, but he would never knowingly put himself in danger. That’s why we were so shocked. To anybody else, just don’t do it. Express your art the way you want to express it, but never put yourself in an unsafe position’.
The budding artist, who attended £7,000-a-term Hampstead Fine Arts College, was a well-known figure in the capital’s underground graffiti scene.
He also worked as a chef at Kricket restaurant in Brixton.
Known by his tag ‘Lover’, he had been commissioned to undertake professional graffiti murals for firms.
Friends described him and the other two men killed in the incident – Alberto Carrasco, 19, known as ‘Trip’, and Jack ‘K-Bag’ Gilbert, 23 – as the ‘Three Musketeers’.
The three graffiti artists were dead on the tracks for nearly six hours before their bodies were noticed and were all identified by their fingerprints, an inquest at Southwark Coroners Court was told today.
A coroner was told they were hit by a train just after 1am near Loughborough Junction station in south London, but not discovered until a train driver saw something at the tracks just before 7am.
The driver who spotted the bodies reported it to his control room and confirmed they were human remains after checking half an hour later.
The police were called and came to recover the bodies just before 9am.
Jack Gilbert, 23, was also one of the ‘three musketeers’ who died while making a graffiti mural on Monday with his friends
The parents of Alberto Fresneda Carrasco (pictured left and right) said today that they had last heard from their son, a keen Everton and Sevilla fan, on Sunday night at 10pm saying he would be coming home for dinner – but he never arrived
They were found on a 65ft-high section of raised track which offered no refuge area to escape an oncoming train.
Opening the inquest at Southwark Coroner’s Court today, coroner’s officer Peggy Farooqi said: ‘I can confirm the three bodies were found in the jurisdiction, all three have been identified by their fingerprints.’
Ms Farooqi said Jack was working as an events inspector before his death, the coroner heard. Harrison was a chef and Alberto was a student.
Detective Superintendant Gary Richardson told the coroner: ‘We are aware the three gentlemen had gone to Brixton Sunday evening and at some point after midnight moved onto the railway lines at Loughborough Junction.
‘We are satisfied although still await some further evidence that they were struck by a train at 16 minutes past one at Loughborough Junction on the 18 June’.
Describing events around six hours later he said: ‘At 6.57am a driver had noticed something along the trackside and notified the control room.
‘At 7.22am he checked again and was satisfied it was human bodies that remained next to the track.
‘At 8.42am British Transport Police officers arrived. We arranged for a forensic recovery of the three men that has been mentioned. Yesterday and the day before postmortems were completed on the three men.
‘It was the same cause of death for all three – struck by a train and multiple injuries.’
The bodies can now be released to the families, the court ruled, and the inquest was adjourned pending a report from BTP’s investigation into the incident.
The coroner warned the court that a report could take some months and the inquest was not likely to be heard until early next year.
Assistant Coroner Phillip Barlow said: ‘I would think it would be several months before the full report. It’s a regret for everyone that these reports take some time to provide.
‘I’m sure BTP will do all they can to make sure that report is provided as soon as possible.
‘In these circumstances I’m satisfied that the three men appear to have died unnaturally.
Outside the court, Jack’s half-sister Jade Beanland was tearful and comforted by relatives and friends.
She confirmed that Jack’s occupation, an events inspector, is related to checking safety regulations at events.
The families of Harrison and Alberto did not attend today’s opening of the inquests.
The family of aspiring graphic designer Mr Carrasco said his death has ‘left a deep hole’ which can never be filled.
The teenager, who held American and Spanish nationality, was a football fanatic who was born in New York and moved to London in 2011. He was due to start studying at the London College of Communication in September. His parents said they last heard from him at 10pm on Sunday, when he said he would return for dinner, but concerns grew when he did not arrive.
Three suspected graffiti artists killed when a train struck them at a notorious vandalism hotspot have been named as ‘The Three Musketeers’ including a young man named ‘Trip’ (pictured in a tribute)
The other two young men killed have been named as K-Bag (left) and Lover (right) whose work can be seen all over London including on trains and railway walls (pictured)
The three people were declared dead at the scene by London Ambulance Service after they were found on one of Britain’s busiest rail junctions
In a statement, they said he was a budding entrepreneur, buying clothes from charity shops and selling them online at a profit. ‘From a very young age, his passion was to draw. His absence has left a deep hole in the family.’
A close friend of Mr Carrasco, known to many as Alby, said he aimed to go to university to study photography, adding that he was a ‘free spirit’. He said: ‘Every time we’d go out and do graffiti, he would stand back and take a picture for his collection. It’s so sad.’
Jack Gilbert’s family said this week: ‘There are no words to describe the devastation we feel. He was a wonderful son, brother, uncle and boyfriend. His generosity was endless and he would help anyone who needed it.
‘He lit up everyone’s world just by being in it and never failed to put a smile on people’s faces.
‘The hole he has left in our hearts will never be filled.
‘His talent for art even from an early age was exceptional. Everyone loved Jack and the only solace we have is he died doing something he loved.’