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Finsbury Park attack accused 'wanted to kill Jeremy Corbyn' Finsbury Park attack accused 'wanted to kill Jeremy Corbyn'
(about 5 hours later)
Darren Osborne tells court he had hoped to kill Labour leader, but denies he was driving vanDarren Osborne tells court he had hoped to kill Labour leader, but denies he was driving van
Kevin RawlinsonKevin Rawlinson
Tue 30 Jan 2018 15.44 GMT Tue 30 Jan 2018 19.04 GMT
Last modified on Tue 30 Jan 2018 15.46 GMT First published on Tue 30 Jan 2018 15.44 GMT
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A man accused of carrying out a van attack on Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park had initially hoped to kill senior Labour party figures including Jeremy Corbyn, he has told a jury. A man accused of carrying out a van attack on Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park last year had earlier hoped to kill senior Labour party figures including Jeremy Corbyn, he has told a jury.
Giving evidence on Tuesday, Darren Osborne claimed he picked up another man, whom he named only as “Dave”, as he drove round the area. He alleged it was the other man at the wheel when the incident took place and not him. Giving evidence on Tuesday, Darren Osborne claimed he picked up another man, whom he named only as “Dave”, as he drove round north London, having failed to attack another target. He alleged it was that other man at the wheel when the attack which killed Makram Ali, 51, took place on 19 June.
Asked by the prosecutor, Jonathan Rees, whether he had planned to kill the Labour leader, Osborne told the jury: “Yeah. And, if Sadiq Khan [the London mayor] had been there, it would have been even better. It would have been like winning the lottery.” Osborne told the court that he, Dave and a man he named as “Terry Jones” initially discussed travelling to Rochdale to attack a Labour politician, whom he named as “Hussain” and who he said had given a character reference on behalf of one of the men convicted of grooming children there.
Earlier Woolwich crown court had heard evidence that Osborne, 48, had acted alone. In an interview conducted in hospital after he had medical examinations, the court heard that Osborne told a police officer: “I am flying solo, mate.” In an earlier exchange, it was said he had told another officer he was the driver of the van. The target changed to last year’s Quds day march in central London because they could cause more casualties there, he said, adding that they also expected Corbyn to be in attendance as well.
Jonathan Rees told the jury he would be introducing evidence relating to whether or not other people were involved and who was driving the van. Asked by the prosecutor, Jonathan Rees, whether he had planned to kill the Labour leader, Osborne told the jury: “Oh yeah, it would be one less terrorist [on] our streets.” He added: “And if Sadiq Khan [the London mayor] had been there it would have been even better. It would have been like winning the lottery.” He also said Hussain remained a target.
The jury heard that, during an initial police interview conducted in University College hospital immediately after the incident, Osborne told PC Paul Dring there was nothing he knew that would pose an ongoing danger and that no one else was involved. When the Quds day plot failed, Osborne told the jury he drove round London and followed instructions to meet Dave and Terry in Finsbury Park because it was Corbyn’s constituency. Osborne said he expected to go for a drink with them there but instead Dave jumped in the moving van and carried out the attack. By that point, he said, he had lost his nerve and no longer wanted to attack anyone.
The jury was also shown footage of an earlier exchange with PC David Jones, in which Osborne said: “I lost control of the van ... lost control, man.” According to the film, which was shot on PC Jones’s body-worn camera, Osborne answered “yeah” to the officer’s question: “Were you the driver, were you?” The defendant said he was unable to explain to the jury why a statement of his intended defence, served on the prosecution as it prepared to finish its case last Friday, differed from a supplementary statement he produced on Tuesday afternoon.
In a witness statement read to the court, Ibrahim Ikar said: “A man jumped out of the van and tried to run away ... The man who jumped out of the van was the driver because I could not see anyone else who came out of the van.” In the first, Rees told the jury, Osborne said he knew about Dave’s claimed intention to carry out the attack in Finsbury Park and supported him in it. In the second, Osborne said he neither had knowledge of Dave’s intention, nor did he support it. Each statement, Rees told the jury, was signed by Osborne.
In another witness statement read to the court, Abdul Matin Chowdhury said: “I can say for certain that the man who got out of the driver’s side after hitting us all on the road was the same man who the police put in [their] van.” Osborne said he was in the passenger’s side footwell when the incident took place but that he jumped out of the driver’s side after it. Asked why, he said he had no explanation. Similarly, he said he was unable to explain how the man he said was driving got away.
The prosecution concluded its case on Tuesday. He denies the murder of Makram Ali, 51, and the attempted murders of other people during the incident in north London on 19 June last year. The defendant denied Rees’s suggestion that he had invented the accounts once he realised the strength of the prosecution’s case against him.
Osborne denied Rees’s suggestion that he was “playing it for laughs”, saying: “I’m at a loss why you would draw that conclusion.” Asked if he would support further attacks, he said: “Something needs to be done, this can’t carry on.”
Earlier Woolwich crown court heard evidence that Osborne had acted alone. In an interview conducted in hospital after he had medical examinations, the court heard that Osborne told a police officer: “I am flying solo, mate.” In an earlier exchange, it was said, he had told another officer he was the driver of the van.
The jury heard that during an initial police interview conducted in University College hospital immediately after the incident Osborne told PC Paul Dring no one else had been involved.
The jury was also shown footage of an earlier exchange with PC David Jones in which Osborne said: “I lost control of the van ... lost control, man.” According to the film, which was shot on PC Jones’s body-worn camera, Osborne answered “yeah” to the officer’s question: “Were you the driver, were you?”
In witness statements read to the court Ibrahim Ikar and Abdul Matin Chowdhury said the man who jumped out of the van was the driver.
The prosecution concluded its case on Tuesday. Osborne denies the murder of Ali and the attempted murders of other people during the incident.
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