Finsbury Park trial as it happened: Messages sent by Tommy Robinson to terror suspect Darren Osborne revealed in court

Facebook/SWNS
Facebook/SWNS

Darren Osborne is on trial for a second day for allegedly trying to kill as many Muslims “as possible” with a van in Finsbury Park.

Woolwich Crown Court previously heard he become “brainwashed” after watching a television drama about the Rochdale grooming sex scandal and appeared to become radicalised after reading posts by Britain First and far-right leader Tommy Robinson.

Mr Robinson and Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, sent Mr Osborne messages days before the attack, the jury has heard.

Prosecutors said they had not seen the content of a direct Twitter message from Ms Fransen, and that Mr Osborne had screen-grabbed emails from Mr Robinson sent via The Rebel website.

Witnesses told how they overheard the defendant claiming he would "kill Muslims" and describing himself as a "soldier" at a Cardiff pub on the previous evening.

Mr Osborne denies deliberately mowing down 51-year-old Makram Ali, who died of his injuries, and nine other people shortly after 12.15am on 19 June.

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Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC said the “act of extreme violence” was considered by the prosecution to be a terrorist attack.

Mr Osborne, who is said to have accused all Muslims of being rapists and belonging to paedophile gangs, was described by his partner as a “total loner” who would binge drink to “get blotto and forget everything”.

Describing Osborne’s response to watching the BBC drama Three Girls, his partner of 20 years Sarah Andrews said in a statement read to the court: “He seemed brainwashed and totally obsessed with the subject.

“He has been openly saying a lot of racist things and tarring all Muslims with the same brush.”

In the statement she added that she had noticed him reading tweets by former English Defence League leader Mr Robinson.

“I think he was a ticking time bomb. I should have realised what was going on and I feel so bad that I did not see it, so that I could have done something to stop it,” she said.

She added that one of their daughters had been ”too scared“ to bring her Muslim friends home because of the way he was acting.

Opening the trial on Monday, Mr Rees said Mr Osborne ”was trying to kill as many of the group as possible“ as he drove a van into worshippers who had attended Ramadan night prayers near two mosques.

Mr Ali died following the attack and many others were injured, some seriously, the court heard.

Bystanders rushed to the aid of Mr Ali moments earlier after he collapsed, but witnesses said he was conscious before being struck, the court heard.

Mr Osborne denies the the murder of Mr Ali and attempted murder of ”persons at the junction of Seven Sisters Road and Whadcoat Street, London“.

A handwritten note – which complained about terrorists on the streets and the Rotherham grooming scandal, and branded Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn a “terrorist sympathiser” - was found in the cab of the van after the attack.

Mr Rees told the jury: “The underlying theme seems to be that the defendant felt that insufficient was being said or done to counter terrorism and the grooming gangs comprising predominantly Muslim males.

“Against that background, the defendant decided to take matters into his own hands.”

The defendant had driven from Cardiff to London the previous day, originally intending to drive the van into people taking part in the Al Quds Day march, but began looking for another target when this did not prove viable, the court heard.

A number of men tried to prevent the driver’s escape and keep him pinned to the ground as he was heard to say ”I want to kill more Muslims”, Mr Rees said.

Another man in the group remembered the defendant – who was “constantly smiling” – saying: “I’ve done my job, you can kill me now.”