London death toll 55

LONDON - An architect who had been in a coma since he suffered serious injuries in the London bombings, which claimed the life of his girlfriend, died yesterday.

Lee Harris, 30, who was caught up in the King's Cross explosion with his girlfriend, Samantha Badham, 36, became the 55th victim of the blasts.

He and Ms Badham, who has now been formally identified by police, rarely took the Underground to work, preferring instead to cycle or drive. But on Thursday morning they decided to take the Piccadilly line from their home in Tottenham, north London, so that they could go out to dinner in the evening.

The couple had met while Mr Harris was a teenager and were due to have celebrated their 14th anniversary together two days after the bombings.

Mr Harris's parents, Lynne and Brian Harris, from Herefordshire, who had been keeping a vigil at the Royal London Hospital in east London, said: "They were a devoted couple and everyone who came into contact with them took to them immediately. We will miss them both and will always make them proud of us in what we do, as we were proud of them."

Police also formally identified James Adams, 32, a mortgage broker. Mr Adams, a devout Christian from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was travelling to work in the Strand on July 7 and was also on the Piccadilly line when the bomb exploded.

His parents, Elaine and Ernest Adams, said in a statement issued through police that they did not place blame on any religion. They said: "James was a deeply loved son and brother, who lived and loved life to the full. We do not know who is ultimately responsible for our loss but we do not hold any religion or faith accountable.

"James had a deep and strong Christian belief and a love for all people. James would not have wanted any repercussions caused by other people's misguided views."

Elizabeth Daplyn, a 26-year-old Oxford University graduate who was travelling on the Piccadilly line from her home in Highgate to University College Hospital in Bloomsbury, where she worked as an administrator, was also named by police.

The funeral of the first victim to have been formally identified by the police, Susan Levy, was held yesterday. Mrs Levy, a 53-year-old mother of two, was on the Piccadilly line when the explosion ripped through the train at 8.50am.

Mrs Levy's husband, Harry, and their two sons, Jamie and Daniel, were joined by more than 100 people at yesterday's service at Golders Green crematorium in north London.

Her son Jamie, 23, had been on the Tube train with his mother on Thursday but had got off at Finsbury Park, three stops before it reached King's Cross.

In their statement, the family said: "Susan was a devoted and much-loved wife and mother. We are all devastated by our loss.

"She was a valued and respected member of her extended Jewish family and will be deeply mourned and sadly missed by us and her many friends."

- INDEPENDENT