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Michael Adebolajo gets whole-life jail term for Lee Rigby murder
Lee Rigby murder: Michael Adebolajo gets whole-life jail term
(about 3 hours later)
Violence broke out in court on Wednesday as Michael Adebolajo was sentenced to die in prison by a judge who found he had led the terrorist attack that saw the British soldier Lee Rigby "butchered" in the street.
The two terrorists who murdered British soldier Lee Rigby on a south London street fought with guards yesterday in the dock of the court yards from the grieving family of the soldier they butchered as a judge sentenced the mastermind of the attack to die in prison.
Adebolajo, 29, was given a whole-life tariff while his accomplice Michael Adebowale, 22, who joined in "enthusiastically", was sentenced to life in prison with a 45-year minimum term.
Michael Adebolajo, 29, who hacked at Rigby's head, was sentenced to a whole-life term for leading the first al-Qaida- inspired terrorist attack on British soil to claim a life since the 7 July bombings eight years ago. The sentence means he is unlikely to ever be released.
The pair fought with security guards before they were sentenced and were bundled out of the dock at the Old Bailey in central London.
His accomplice, Michael Adebowale, 22, who stabbed at the soldier's torso, was ordered to serve a minimum of 45 years in jail. Both men had been convicted unanimously by a jury in December.
They were in the cells as their sentences were delivered by Mr Justice Sweeney, who said: "It is no exaggeration to say that what the two of you did resulted in a bloodbath."
The men disrupted sentencing at the Old Bailey, with the dead soldier's family sitting nearby, as the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, branded them traitors to their religion. The judge began sentencing for the "sickening and pitiless" attack by saying that Adebolajo and Adebowale were converts to Islam who became radicalised and extremists.
Before they were removed, it was as the judge said they were extremists that Adebowale shouted: "That is a lie."
Adebolajo had claimed his act of butchery was a military strike commanded by God and that he was a soldier of Allah.
The judge continued, with Adebowale shouting: "You know nothing about Islam."
The judge said their actions were "a betrayal of Islam and of the peaceful Muslim communities who give so much to our country".
As the judge warned the convicted murderers to be silent, violence broke out in the dock.
Adebowale shouted "that is a lie" at the judge, later shouting "you know nothing about Islam" in Sweeney's direction.
Adebowale said: "I swear by Allah that America will not be safe."
After more barracking, the judge said: "Gentlemen you have a choice"– only to be interrupted as mayhem broke out.
At that point Adebolajo joined in, shouting "Allahu Akbhar" (God is great), and nine security guards flanking them in the dock grappled with the convicted terrorists.
Adebowale shouted: "I swear by Allah that America will not be safe."At that point Adebolajo joined in, shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest"), and nine security guards flanking them in the dock grappled with the men.
Adebolajo was pinned to the ground before being carried out head first. Adebowale was dragged out. The scuffle lasted over a minute and was so violent that protective screens over the dock rocked.
Adebolajo was pinned to the ground, his legs in the air, before being carried out head first to the cells. Adebowale was also dragged out.
The fighting was yards from Rigby's family, some of whom were so upset they were left crying.
The violence lasted over a minute and was so severe that protective screens over the dock rocked as scuffles continued.
A jury had found the pair guilty in December 2013. The judge had delayed sentencing until a court of appeal ruling clarified whether those convicted of the most serious murders could receive sentences meaning that they would never be released. That ruling came earlier this month and paved the way for the two men to face life imprisonment with no parole or prospect of ever being freed, though on Wednesday only Adebolajo was given a whole-life term.
The disturbance broke out yards from Rigby's family, some of whom were left in tears by the fresh violence from the pair who mutilated their loved one.The judge continued sentencing after the killers had been removed, with the agreement of their lawyers, in what was already a unique exercise in English criminal history.
Outside court, supporters of the British National party and the English Defence League cheered when the sentences was announced. Many held placards which read: "Restore capital punishment."
The pair were the first al-Qaida-inspired terrorists to carry out their plan to murder on British soil without killing themselves in the process to come before an English court for sentencing.
Earlier on Wednesday the court were read victim impact statements from Rigby's family, telling of their pain and grief.
The savagery of the murder on 22 May 2013, in which Rigby, 25, was repeatedly stabbed and hacked in the neck with a cleaver, tore at community relations.
His wife, Rebecca, mother of their son, Jack, who was two at the time of the killing, said it had catapulted her into the "public gaze" leaving her feeling so distraught she felt she "did not want to go on".
Adebolajo and Adebowale had waited for a victim as they turned British soldiers into prey, stalking them near Woolwich barracks in south London.After running Rigby down with a car and pulling his body into the road, mutilating him so badly that he had to be identified from dental records, they remained at the scene and encouraged people to take pictures with their mobile phone cameras.
She said: "Of all the feelings I have, the one thing that overrides everything is that I know my son will grow up and see images of his dad that no son should ever have to endure, and there is nothing I can do to change this."
Adebolajo was filmed at the scene brandishing a cleaver and a knife in his bloodied hands, and with the body of Rigby lying metres away, saying: "The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day. This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."The judge cited the political and terrorist motivation of the crime as part of his justification for passing a whole-life tariff on Adebolajo. Such sentences are meant to be used rarely and only in the very worst cases.
The Met police's assistant commissioner Cressida Dick said: "Today's sentence reflects the true horror of their actions in taking this young man's life in such a barbaric way.
As murder carries a mandatory life sentence the only issue for the hearing was what minimum term the pair should serve before they could be considered for release.
"Our thoughts remain with Lee's loved ones, who have shown dignity and strength throughout the judicial process.
The judge had delayed sentencing until a court of appeal ruling clarified whether those convicted of the most serious murders could receive sentences meaning that they would never be released.
"I would like to thank everyone who assisted my officers at the time of the incident, during the investigation and in preparing for trial, including the national CT network, security service and intelligence agencies, Crown Prosecution Service and counsel."
That ruling came earlier this month and paved the way for a whole-life term to be imposed.
The savagery of the murder in May 2013, in which Rigby, 25, was repeatedly stabbed and hacked in the neck with a cleaver, had a deep effect on community relations.
Sweeney told Rigby's killers that even though one person had been killed, a whole-life term was deserved for Adebolajo, for whom there was no hope of rehabilitation.
It was the first murderous attack in Britain by those motivated by the al-Qaida ideology of violence since the 7 July 2005 bombings of London's transport system by four suicide bombers. The pair were the first al-Qaida-inspired terrorists to carry out their plan to murder on British soil without killing themselves in the process to come before an English court for sentencing.
The judge said that for Adebowale his lesser role, age and "pre-existing and continuing mental condition" meant he would escape being sentenced to die in prison but would instead spend nearly half a century in jail before any consideration could be given to his release.
Adebolajo, the dominant one of the pair of converts to Islam, and Adebowale had been convicted after one of the most overwhelming cases of guilt in English criminal history, with key parts of the attack caught on CCTV and smartphones.
He said: "It is no exaggeration to say that what the two of you did resulted in a bloodbath. You both gloried in what you had done."
They had waited for a victim as they turned British soldiers into prey, stalking them near Woolwich barracks in south London.
Outside court the Rigby family welcomed the sentences, saying: "We feel that no other sentence would have been acceptable and we would like to thank the judge and the courts. We feel satisfied that justice has been served for Lee. It just remains to be said: rest in peace Lee."
At the time of the attack, Rigby was attached to the regimental recruiting team and was on his way back to barracks in Woolwich from a shift working at the Tower of London. Previously he had served a tour of duty in Helmand, Afghanistan, fighting Islamist militants.
Adebolajo has decided to appeal against his conviction, claiming the judge made legal errors. There is little expectation that he will succeed.
After running Rigby down with a car and pulling his body into the road, mutilating him so badly that he had to be identified by dental records, they remained at the scene and encouraged people to take pictures with their mobile phone cameras.
They claimed they were soldiers of Allah and driven to conduct a strike against the west because of their disgust at its foreign policy.
Adebolajo, assessed by a psychiatrist as sane, was recorded at the scene brandishing a cleaver and a knife in his bloodied hands, and with the body of Rigby lying metres away, saying: "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day. This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
In a police interview, he said he had picked Rigby because he was the first soldier they saw. The fusilier was stabbed with weapons including knives bought from Argos the day before. He claimed he slashed his neck because it was the most humane way to kill someone and added: "So I struck at the neck and attempted to remove the head."
Adebolajo told jurors that he was a "soldier of Allah" and was obliged to obey the command of Allah. He described how he held the soldier's hair as he hacked at his neck in a motion described by one witness as like a "butcher attacking a joint of meat".
Adebowale did not testify in his own defence and his police interviews were not heard by the court.
After the conviction last December, Mr Justice Sweeney said he would pass sentence after a key ruling by the court of appeal on the use of whole-life terms. It was a clear signal that he was considering sentencing the men to die in jail. In two cases last year, Sweeney rejected crown demands for whole-life sentences, including a terrorist case where a Muslim man was murdered by a Ukrainian man who also staged a bombing campaign, who received a minimum term of 40 years.
Adebolajo, from Romford, and Adebowale, from Greenwich, are both from Christian Nigerian families and had attended events by extremist groups led by Anjem Choudary, linked to the now-banned al-Muhajiroun. Adebowale was attending events last year while Adebolajo had led rallies several years ago.
In her victim impact statement, Rebecca Rigby said the family had lived with the prospect of death while Rigby served as a soldier in war zones such as Afghanistan but never expected it on Britain's streets. She said: "When you wave someone off you accept that there is a chance you will never see them again. You do not expect to see this on the streets of the UK."
She said: "Lee will never be forgotten. We will always love him and miss him every day."
His stepfather, Ian Rigby, said in his victim impact statement: "All he was doing was just walking through London."
He told how he and others battled to comprehend the brutal killing of their loved one, saying: "It just doesn't click in your head."
