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| Man tried to kill Muslim woman and 12-year-old girl as 'revenge' for terror attacks | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man has been convicted of attempting to murder a Muslim woman and 12-year-old schoolgirl in “revenge” for Islamist terror attacks. | |
| Paul Moore, 21, told relatives he was “doing the country a favour” after ramming his car into the victims in Leicester on 20 September – five days after the Parsons Green Tube bombing. | |
| Zaynab Hussein, who is Somali and wears a headscarf, was walking down Acer Close when Moore hit her with his Volkswagen. | |
| Nottingham Crown Court heard that the driver laughed as he returned to the woman as she lay wounded in the road to run her over with all four wheels. | |
| Ms Hussain sustained life-changing injuries after sustaining a broken leg and fractures to her pelvis and spine. | |
| Moments later, Moore drove at a 12-year-old school girl who he clipped but did not succeed in running over. | |
| He showed no emotion as a jury found him guilty of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving on Friday. | |
| Mr Justice Soole adjourned sentencing to a later date, with Ms Hussein’s husband watching as he was taken back to his cell. | |
| Prosecutor Jonathan Straw said Moore has a number of previous convictions and was on bail for a charge of causing grievous bodily harm when he was arrested for the attack. | |
| The court previously heard that the defendant launched the attack as revenge for the London 7/7 bombings and the Parsons Green terror attacks, which was claimed by Isis. | |
| Prosecutors said Moore targeted Ms Hussain “purely because of the colour of her skin“ and perceived Islamic faith. | |
| "Carefully and deliberately, in an act of calculated evil, he aligned his wheels so the front and back wheels were over her,” Mr Straw told the jury. | |
| "He did not know her. He tried to kill her purely because of the colour of her skin and because of her perceived Islamic faith as she was wearing a hijab. | |
| "It is no coincidence, we say, that there had been a bomb at Parsons Green Tube station in London, said to have been carried out by sympathisers of Isis." | |
| Mr Straw said Moore drove at the schoolgirl moments later, adding “it is only by the grace of God and nothing more that she was saved”. | |
| Moore admitted that he was behind the wheel but denied the attempted murder and GBH with intent charges. | |
| Four other people were in the car with Moore during the incident and begged him to let them out afterwards. | |
| In a recorded interview played to the court, passenger Reece Bishop said Moore was laughing as he hit Ms Hussein. | |
| "He was just driving like a maniac,” he added. “I thought we were going to be dead. He said 'I feel like running someone over. Anyone'. | |
| "It all happened so fast. He turned the steering wheel and he just hits her out of the blue." | |
| Later the same day, Moore went to visit his half-brother, who said he had been drunk at the time of the incident. | |
| Lewis Welsh told the court: "He tried to put it down to the London 7/7 bombings. He said he was proud of himself and doing the country a favour." | |
| Mr Welsh said he did not wish to repeat the language Moore used after the incident as he ”did not want to be racist“. |