This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/29/woolwich-murder-trial-lee-rigby-court
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Woolwich murder trial: man attacked Lee Rigby 'like butcher', court hears | Woolwich murder trial: man attacked Lee Rigby 'like butcher', court hears |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A man accused of killing Lee Rigby repeatedly sawed at the soldier's neck "like a butcher attacking a joint of meat", jurors in the Woolwich murder trial have heard. | A man accused of killing Lee Rigby repeatedly sawed at the soldier's neck "like a butcher attacking a joint of meat", jurors in the Woolwich murder trial have heard. |
| Horrified onlookers pleaded with two men not to kill the soldier during the "horrific, frenzied attack", prosecutors told the court at the Old Bailey on Friday. | |
| Jurors were shown the moment Rigby, 25, was run over by a Vauxhall Tigra travelling between 30mph and 40mph as he crossed a road near Woolwich military barracks in south London on 22 May 2013. | |
| The attackers got out of the car before one gripped the soldier's hair and "repeatedly hacked" at the right side of his neck with a cleaver, the court heard. | |
| The jury saw video of two men dragging Rigby's body into the middle of the road after he had been mutilated. | |
| Graphic detail of the attack emerged on the first day of the trial in central London. | |
| Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, are accused of murdering Rigby – a drummer and machine-gunner in the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers – as he walked back to Woolwich military barracks. | |
| The pair deny murder. | The pair deny murder. |
| The court heard that witnesses saw Adebolajo grab Rigby by the hair after the latter had been knocked down and described how he "repeatedly hacked" at the soldier's neck. | |
| The jury heard Adebolajo was using considerable force, "bringing his hand into the air each time before he struck". | The jury heard Adebolajo was using considerable force, "bringing his hand into the air each time before he struck". |
| Outlining the crown's case, Richard Whittam QC, prosecuting, quoted a witness, Amanda Bailey, as saying: "I was so shocked that all I could do was sit there and stare at what was happening. I couldn't believe what was going on. He was determined and he was not going to stop." | |
| Bailey said she saw Adebolajo hack at Rigby's neck nine times and the jury heard she was so shocked she had no idea how long the attack lasted. "It felt like a lifetime," she said. | Bailey said she saw Adebolajo hack at Rigby's neck nine times and the jury heard she was so shocked she had no idea how long the attack lasted. "It felt like a lifetime," she said. |
| The court heard that another witness, Gary Perkins, saw Adebolajo "sawing at the neck of Lee Rigby with a machete". He said the attack was like "a butcher attacking a joint of meat". | The court heard that another witness, Gary Perkins, saw Adebolajo "sawing at the neck of Lee Rigby with a machete". He said the attack was like "a butcher attacking a joint of meat". |
| Another witness told police he "instantly believed that he [the attacker] was trying to cut the victim's head off by the way he was attacking him", jurors were told. | Another witness told police he "instantly believed that he [the attacker] was trying to cut the victim's head off by the way he was attacking him", jurors were told. |
| Saraj Miah, who was standing outside a nearby shop, saw two men attacking Rigby and shouted: "Don't kill him", but they did not listen, the jurors were told. | |
| Rigby, a father of one from Middleton in Greater Manchester, died from multiple cut and stab wounds when he was attacked as he returned to the barracks after spending the day at the Tower of London. | |
| His final moments were recorded on CCTV as he walked from Woolwich Arsenal DLR station to his barracks, wearing a blue Help for Heroes hooded top with a camouflage backpack slung over his shoulder. | His final moments were recorded on CCTV as he walked from Woolwich Arsenal DLR station to his barracks, wearing a blue Help for Heroes hooded top with a camouflage backpack slung over his shoulder. |
| Jurors were shown footage of Rigby crossing Artillery Place, where he was struck from behind by the Vauxhall Tigra, which had been parked around the corner, knocking him unconscious. "What unfolded after that was shocking to those who observed it," Whittam told the court. | Jurors were shown footage of Rigby crossing Artillery Place, where he was struck from behind by the Vauxhall Tigra, which had been parked around the corner, knocking him unconscious. "What unfolded after that was shocking to those who observed it," Whittam told the court. |
| An electrician, Thomas Seymour, stopped his car when he noticed the crashed Tigra and Rigby's body on the floor. Seymour saw the two men – one armed with what the court heard was a long knife with a silver blade and the other with a meat cleaver – the jury was told. | |
| Whittam said Seymour saw the man with the cleaver "attack the neck of Lee Rigby as he lay motionless. He held his head and deliberately sliced at the neck." | Whittam said Seymour saw the man with the cleaver "attack the neck of Lee Rigby as he lay motionless. He held his head and deliberately sliced at the neck." |
| Seymour "instantly believed that he was trying to cut the victim's head off by the way he was attacking him", the court heard. | Seymour "instantly believed that he was trying to cut the victim's head off by the way he was attacking him", the court heard. |
| Several members of Rigby's family, including his widow and his parents, were sat to the right of the court dock holding Adebolajo and Adebowale, with a brown paper sheet obscuring their view of the two accused. | Several members of Rigby's family, including his widow and his parents, were sat to the right of the court dock holding Adebolajo and Adebowale, with a brown paper sheet obscuring their view of the two accused. |
| Some family members left the courtroom when jurors were told they were about to see footage of Rigby being run over and, later, when they saw video of him being dragged into the road. | Some family members left the courtroom when jurors were told they were about to see footage of Rigby being run over and, later, when they saw video of him being dragged into the road. |
| Adebolajo, from Romford in Essex, has asked to be known as Mujaahid Abu Hamza in court. Adebowale, from Greenwich in south-east London, has asked to be called Ismail Ibn Abdullah. | Adebolajo, from Romford in Essex, has asked to be known as Mujaahid Abu Hamza in court. Adebowale, from Greenwich in south-east London, has asked to be called Ismail Ibn Abdullah. |
| The accused have pleaded guilty to a separate charge of carrying a firearm "with intent to cause fear of violence", the court heard. They deny murder. | |
| They are also charged with conspiring to murder and the attempted murder of police officers who arrived at the scene of the attack. Both defendants deny these charges. | They are also charged with conspiring to murder and the attempted murder of police officers who arrived at the scene of the attack. Both defendants deny these charges. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |