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Westminster terror attack: 'How could Keith have been left alone?' Westminster terror attack: 'How could Keith have been left alone?'
(35 minutes later)
The widow of the police officer killed during the Westminster attack says her husband was left "in a vulnerable location, with no protection, to die".The widow of the police officer killed during the Westminster attack says her husband was left "in a vulnerable location, with no protection, to die".
It comes after the coroner said Keith Palmer's death on 22 March last year could "possibly" have been prevented if armed officers had been nearby.It comes after the coroner said Keith Palmer's death on 22 March last year could "possibly" have been prevented if armed officers had been nearby.
All five victims of the terror attack were "unlawfully killed", he said. "Shortcomings in the security system" meant they were unaware they should have been on guard near his position.
He added "shortcomings in the security system" meant armed officers were unaware they should have been on guard. All five victims of the terror attack were "unlawfully killed", he ruled.
"Due to shortcomings in the security system at New Palace Yard, including the supervision of those engaged in such duties, the armed officers were not aware of a requirement to remain in close proximity to the gates," he said. They were PC Palmer, 48, Kurt Cochran, 54, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Andreea Cristea, 31.
"Had they been stationed there it is possible that they may have been able to prevent Pc Palmer suffering fatal injuries." Their killer, Khalid Masood, was shot dead by police just inside the entrance to the Palace of Westminster.
The inquest into the deaths of PC Palmer, 48, Kurt Cochran, 54, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Andreea Cristea, 31, has been taking place at the Old Bailey in central London. What did the coroner say?
Westminster attacker Khalid Masood, 52, drove into pedestrians on Westminster bridge, killing four people and seriously injuring 29. Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft QC, at the Old Bailey, has carried out the inquests of those who died. Giving his ruling on Wednesday, he praised the "great dignity" of their families throughout the process and also the "quite overwhelming" response from medics and members of the public.
He also stabbed PC Palmer with two knives outside the Houses of Parliament. He said that on on 22 March 2017, Masood had driven a hired SUV at an average speed of 30 to 32mph with "clear murderous intent".
He said PC Palmer had been "fulfilling his job to protect the Palace and those within it" and "did not shrink from" performing that duty.
He was wearing a protective vest but was not armed, and the coroner said that had armed officers been stationed alongside him, they may have been able to prevent him suffering fatal injuries.
How have relatives reacted?
PC Palmer's widow, Michelle Palmer, said in a statement that the authorities had let her husband down by failing to protect him and let the family down by failing to investigate his death properly.
She said: "How could Keith have been left alone, unarmed, guarding an open gate at one of the most iconic buildings in the world and one of the country's top terrorist targets?
"He was left at a vulnerable location with no protection to die.
She added: "What makes it even worse is that this lax security had been carrying on for years and it has taken what happened to Keith for things to change."
The attack lasted 82 seconds.