A ‘transvestite’ man who died under a tube at King’s Cross on Monday has been revealed as pioneering human rights lawyer David Burgess. His family have asked for space to come to terms with his death.
Burgess was pushed under a train during rush hour by Nina Kanagasingham, who has since been charged with murder.
Details of solicitor Burgess’s life came to light today as Kanagasingham appeared in court.
Burgess had been married as has three children, but away from work he dressed as a woman called Sonia Jardiniere. The 63-year-old’s friends, family and colleagues were aware of his double life and called him Sonia, although he was still legally a man.
In a statement released by British Transport Police, his three adult children paid tribute to their “wonderful” father: “Sonia (David) was a loving and wonderful person and will be missed deeply.
We would appreciate being given space to come to terms with our loss.”
Colleagues at law firm Luqmani Thompson and Partners in Wood Green, where Burgess was a partner, knew about his dressing as a woman, but spoke only of his dedicated work as a human rights lawyer.
“David was an enormously talented practitioner, an inspiration to a generation of lawyers practising in this field, and a great friend… a pioneer in setting legal tests and trends in genuinely trailblazing cases,” the firm said in a statement.
A friend of Burgess’s said: “David was shy, enormously generous and devoted to his work helping asylum seekers. I never saw him wearing women’s clothes, he was always dressed in a suit going to work or coming back. It came as a great surprise to hear about that.”
Kanagasingham has been accused of murder for pushing Burgess under a tube. During her City of Westminster Magistrates Court appearance she spoke only to confirm her name, address and date of birth.
Related:
Murder charge over transvestite’s tube death
Transvestite pushed to death under London tube
