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As it happenedended

Finsbury Park attack trial as it happened: Witnesses describe Darren Osborne's alleged van ramming to court

Updates from Woolwich Crown Court as Osborne denies murder and attempted murder

Lizzie Dearden
Home Affairs Correspondent
Wednesday 24 January 2018 11:01 GMT
Darren Osborne is accused of attempted murder and murder in the Finsbury Park terror attack
Darren Osborne is accused of attempted murder and murder in the Finsbury Park terror attack (PA)

Survivors of the terror attack in Finsbury Park have evidence on the third day of Darren Osborne’s trial.

Witnesses told the jury how a crowd of Muslim worshippers were helping a man who collapsed when a van ploughed into them at speed, scattering victims in its wake.

Mr Osborne attempted to flee from the vehicle but found himself trapped in a dead end, the court heard, and was restrained by survivors while allegedly telling them: "I've done my job, you can kill me now."

Woolwich Crown Court previously heard that the 48-year-old became “brainwashed” after watching a drama on grooming gangs and read posts by Tommy Robinson and the leaders of far-right extremist group Britain First.

He is accused of running a hired van into crowds of Muslim worshippers shortly after 12.15am on 19 June last year, killing 51-year-old Makram Ali and injuring nine other victims.

Mr Osborne denies charges of murder and attempted murder.

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On Tuesday, the court heard from a local van hire company that rented Mr Osborne the vehicle used in the attack.

Employees said there appeared to be nothing unusual about the transaction and that the defendant, arriving to pick up the van alone, was “polite and well-mannered”.

The court also from witnesses who saw Mr Osborne drinking in The Hollybush pub in Cardiff the night before the attack.

They told the jury he claimed to be writing a letter to the Government and had told them: “I’m going to kill Muslims, your family are going to be Muslims, they’re all terrorists and I’m going to take it into my own hands.”

Mr Osborne allegedly told drinkers about a march due to take place the following day in London for al-Quds day, which prosecutors said he had researched online.

A taxi driver told the court he gave Mr Osborne, who had driven from Cardiff, directions to the location where the concluding rally was being held on 18 June but that the surrounding roads were closed off.

Other members of the public alleged that the defendant asked them directions to mosques in different parts of London later in the day, finally specifically asking how to get to “the big mosque” in Finsbury Park.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the scene near the Muslim Welfare House at around midnight, where Mr Ali collapsed and Muslim worshippers leaving prayers rushed to help him.

Mr Osborne stared straight ahead as the court was played footage of the moment the van swerved from the main road into the crowd at speed, leaving casualties scattered on the ground.

A handwritten note – which complained about terrorists, grooming gangs and targeted public figures including Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan - was found in the cab of the van after the attack.

The trial continues.

Mr Ismail said he saw Mr Ali's wife and daughter next to him after the accident, when a woman asked permission to give him CPR as a man did chest compressions.

Meanwhile, another person shouted to say a victim was still under the van.

"About 50 of us ran over and we lefted the van off him," he says.

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 11:37

The court is now hearing another statement from victim Yasin Hersi, who sustained a broken ankle in the collision.

He had gone to help Mr Ali shortly after he collapsed, using his first aid training to keep him talking after fearing he had suffered a heart attack.

He says Mr Ali told him he was ok and not in pain shortly before the collision, when Mr Hersi was thrown across the road.

"I found myself lying on the floor and I realised I had been hit by something," he says.

"There was pain in my legs and when I tried to stand I couldn't and I realised something was wrong."

Mr Hersi was moved away from the crash scene to wait for the ambulance.

"I thought something else was going to happen, someone would come with a knife or a gun."

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 11:45

Hamdi al-Faiq, another victim who was injured in the attack and ended up underneat the van, is giving evidence.

He attended the Muslim Welfare House with Makram Ali and helped him after he collapsed, giving him water and talking to him.

He describes the 51-year-old appearing stronger and smiling at him as they talked.

"I saw a shadow of something coming, I thought it was an ambulance," he says.

"I felt something hit me, very strong. And then I was unconscious."

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 11:51

Mr al-Faiq awoke to find himself underneath the van and was pulled out by members of the public.

Doctors say he suffered multiple rib fracutres, lung contusions, a broken left collarbone, a complex fracture to the pelvis for which he needed surgery, a fractured left forearm, fractured left foot, wounds to his right foot.

Afterwards he developed a clot on his lung and is receiving ongoing care.

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 11:56

Mr al-Faiq's cousin was with him when the van hit and helping Mr Ali alongside him when the van hit.

In a statement to the court, he said: "I think he would have been fine if the ambulance had arrived before what happened next...we had been waiting for the ambulance for about 15 minutes and suddenly I was hit by something on my left side."

Walid Salim said he did not realise what had hit him until he saw the van, shouting for his cousin and finding him underneath it, before helping people pull him out.

He suffered a frained neck, soft tissue damage to his soldier and his right knee and a fracutre to his left knee.

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 12:26

Another victim, Ibrahim, had been praying at Finsbury Park Mosque and was walking down Seven Sisters Road when he saw Mr Ali collapse.

He helped him and said he was reassuring him when he started trying to speak:

"He said he just wanted to go home and tried to get up. I reasurred him, I told him I would get some water."

When Ibrahim got up to get some water, the van hit.

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 12:29

The court is now being played a 999 call by Mr Mohammed, another man who was at the scene helping Mr Ali and called emergency services.

He described Mr Ali as a "friendly man who would always take the time to say hello."

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 12:31

The 999 call shows Mr Mohammed answering questions on Mr Ali's health, telling how he is breathing and trying to detail his injuries before the man's voice is cut off.

As the operator repeats "hello? hello?" voices can be heard shouting and screaming in confusion in the background and people can be heard calling for their loved ones.

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 12:34

When Mr Mohammed comes back to the phone, he sounds extremely distressed.

"Someone just came in a big white van and ran over a lot of people. He ran over a lot of people, a lot of people died it's a big white van, he just ran over everyone."

A GP's report says he suffered from shock, has difficulty sleeping, flashbacks and depression.

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 12:36

The court is hearing that a group of deaf friends on their way to cafe were among those hit by the van.

In a statement, one of the men says he had been given a "thumbs up" by a man looking after Mr Ali to say he would be alright and was walking away from the scene when he was struck on his right side as the van came past at speed.

He looked back to see Mr Ali on the ground and that other men around him had been hit, with "their faces bloodied"

He then watched the crowd struggling to detain Mr Osborne, adding: "He was strong and behaving very aggressively, he was pushing people away from him with a lot of force."

Lizzie Dearden24 January 2018 12:48

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