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Sir David Amess’s family have visited the church where the MP was murdered on Friday.

His wife, Julia Amess, was seen wiping tears from her eyes as she read messages left with dozens of flowers outside Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on Monday morning.

Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer were among those who left flowers with personal messages about Sir David over the weekend.

Julia Amess (second right) the widow of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, arrives with friends and family members to view flowers and tributes left for her late husband at Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where he died after being stabbed several times during a constituency surgery on Friday. Picture date: Monday October 18, 2021.
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Mrs Amess was joined by two of her daughters and friends
Flowers and tributes at the scene near Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery on Friday. Picture date: Monday October 18, 2021.
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Dozens of flowers have been left outside the church
File photo dated 17/09/03 of David Amess, MP for Southend West in Essex, outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. Conservative MP Sir David Amess has reportedly been stabbed several times at a surgery in his Southend West constituency. Issue date: Friday October 15, 2021.
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Sir David Amess was killed as he held a constituency surgery on Friday

Other family members, including two of his four daughters, were seen with friends at the church as they comforted each other.

The couple also has a son, David, named after his father.

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Mrs Amess occasionally helped Sir David with his constituency casework.

Sir David was holding a routine constituency surgery at the church on Friday when he was stabbed multiple times before dying at the scene.

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Murdered MP’s family read tributes

A mural of Sir David, by local artist Madmanity, has appeared at a skatepark near the church where he was killed.

The family’s visit comes hours before MPs will gather in the House of Commons for prayers followed by a minute’s silence and a chance to pay tribute to him.

MPs and peers will then attend a service in his honour at nearby St Margaret’s Church.

Flowers have also been left by MPs inside the gates of the Houses of Parliament as they returned after the weekend.

Julia Amess (second right) the widow of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, arrives with friends and family members to view flowers and tributes left for her late husband at Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where he died after being stabbed several times during a constituency surgery on Friday. Picture date: Monday October 18, 2021.
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Mrs Amess was joined by two of her daughters and friends
The letter of tribute to Sir David written by Boris Johnson. Pic: 10DowningStreet
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The letter of tribute to Sir David written by Boris Johnson. Pic: 10 Downing Street
A mural of Sir David Amess has appeared at a skatepark he opened 13 years ago. - The art is the work of local artist Madmanity in  Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Image taken by Aisha Zahid
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A mural of Sir David Amess, by local artist Madmanity, has appeared at a skatepark he opened 13 years ago in Leigh-on-Sea

Many have already paid tribute on social media, saying what a kind person he was to everyone, no matter if they agreed on politics or not.

A 25-year-old man, who Sky News understands is Ali Harbi Ali, was arrested at the scene on murder and terrorism charges.

Conservative MP Nigel Evans lays flowers inside the gates at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, following the death of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, who died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on Friday. Picture date: Monday October 18, 2021.
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Conservative MP Nigel Evans laying flowers for Sir David inside the parliamentary estate

Sky News understands he is the son of a former senior Somali government official.

A spokesman at the Somali Embassy in China has also confirmed the terror suspect is the nephew of Somalia’s ambassador to China, Awale Kullane.

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Crypto self-custody is a fundamental right, says SEC’s Hester Peirce

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Crypto self-custody is a fundamental right, says SEC's Hester Peirce

Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and head of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, reaffirmed the right to crypto self-custody and privacy in financial transactions.

“I’m a freedom maximalist,” Peirce told The Rollup podcast on Friday, while saying that self-custody of assets is a fundamental human right. She added:

“Why should I have to be forced to go through someone else to hold my assets? It baffles me that in this country, which is so premised on freedom, that would even be an issue — of course, people can hold their own assets.”

Privacy, SEC, Freedom, United States, Self Custody, Bitcoin Adoption, ETF
SEC commissioner Hester Peirce discusses the right to self-custody and financial privacy. Source: The Rollup

Peirce added that online financial privacy should be the standard. “It has become the presumption that if you want to keep your transactions private, you’re doing something wrong, but it should be exactly the opposite presumption,” she said.

The comments came as the Digital Asset Market Structure Clarity Act, a crypto market structure bill that includes provisions for self-custody, anti-money laundering(AML) regulations, and asset taxonomy, is delayed until 2026, according to Senator Tim Scott.

Related: SEC to hold privacy and financial surveillance roundtable in December

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) challenge Bitcoin’s self-custody ethos

Many large Bitcoin (BTC) whales and long-term holders are pivoting from self-custody to ETFs to reap the tax benefits and hassle-free management of owning crypto in an investment vehicle.

“We are witnessing the first decline in self-custodied Bitcoin in 15 years,” Dr. Martin Hiesboeck, the head of research at crypto exchange Uphold, said.