Sir David Amess had no security concerns about meeting constituents, police boss says

Veteran Conservative MP was determined to be ‘as accessible as possible’ in community after Covid restrictions were lifted in 2021, murder trial told

Sir David Amess with his pugs Lily and Boat (Geoff Caddick/PA)

Sir David Amess had no known security concerns about meeting voters in community locations before his death, a police boss has said.

The murder of fellow MP Jo Cox in 2016 prompted many politicians, including Sir David, to hold meetings in locations with security measures in place.

But the Old Bailey murder trial heard there was no physical police or security guard presence at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on 15 October 2021, when Ali Harbi Ali tricked staff into booking him an appointment with the veteran MP, before stabbing him more than 20 times with a knife.

The veteran Southend West MP had insisted on holding constituency surgeries in the community after the coronavirus lockdown measures were lifted in order to be “as accessible as possible”.

Essex Police Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow, who had known Sir David for many years, told the PA news agency: “There was nothing about that particular event to give us any cause for concern at all.

“It’s a real tragedy how it transpired.”

He added: “He (Sir David) never spoke to me about any concerns at all.”

Prosecutor Tom Little QC told jurors Sir David expressed concern “the public had not seen him during the Covid pandemic” and had “a strong desire to get out into his community and be as accessible as possible”.

People look at the floral tributes left outside the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea (PA)

As a result, many constituency surgeries were held in churches across his constituency, the location of which was usually advertised on Twitter a few days in advance.

The trial heard how Ali, from Kentish Town, north London, emailed Sir David’s office under the pretence of being a healthcare worker moving to the area.

He later told police: “That’s how easy it was to sort of get to him.”

The attack prompted a joint letter to MPs from home secretary Priti Patel and Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, offering them a security guard for their constituency surgeries amid the potential threat from a “small minority of hostile individuals”.

Ali Harbi Ali, 26, who has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Conservative MP Sir David Amess and preparing acts of terrorism (Metropolitan Police)

The Isis-supporting terrorist who killed Sir David Amess has been convicted of murdering the MP and plotting attacks on other politicians.

A jury convicted Ali of murder and preparing acts of terrorism after deliberating for just 20 minutes at the Old Bailey in London on Monday.

The 26-year-old said he murdered the Conservative politician because he had voted for airstrikes against Isis in Syria and Iraq.

He had been plotting to murder an MP since May 2019, researching other potential targets including Michael Gove, Conservative Mike Freer and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.