Reformed prisoner who tackled London Bridge killer was ‘prepared to die’ to save others

A man seen attempting to subdue London Bridge attacker Usman Khan with a fire extinguisher has revealed he was prepared to die to protect those around him.

John Crilly, a reformed prisoner convicted of manslaughter, said he tackled Khan believing he was wearing a live suicide belt.

“I was screaming at him [Khan] to blow it,” he told the BBC in his first broadcast interview since the attack. “I was prepared to lose my life."

Khan attacked five people, including graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, armed with two kitchen knives and wearing a fake suicide vest. He was later tackled by Mr Crilly and several others on London Bridge and shot by police.

As Mr Crilly, 48, fought Khan he shouted at the police to shoot the attacker.

"It seemed like ages before they shot him,” he said. “It wasn't all gung-ho and trigger happy, they proper took their time, to the point where I did scream 'shoot him'."

Mr Merritt, 25, and Miss Jones, 23, lost their lives in the 29 November attack, which took place during a prisoner rehabilitation conference at Fishmongers' Hall.

A former heroin addict, Mr Crilly had turned his life around with the help of Mr Merritt. The pair had met through the Learning Together programme, which aims to bring offenders and people in higher education together to "study alongside each other".

Mr Crilly had been attending the Learning Together conference and was alerted to the incident after hearing a "very high-pitched girl's scream".

He quickly discovered Miss Jones lying wounded before he saw Mr Khan armed with two knives in the corridor.

After asking Khan what he was doing, Mr Crilly said he replied “Something like 'kill everyone' or 'kill you', something about killing people.

"It seemed like everyone there was fair game.I just assume now that he just saw it as a big target. A room full of establishment people - judges, probation, police, security."

Mr Crilly and others used whatever weapons they could find to pursue Khan out onto London Bridge. Two men used a pole and whale tusk taken from the venue’s wall, whilst Mr Crilly grabbed a wooden lectern and then a fire extinguisher, all while believing Khan was wearing a live explosive.

According to Mr Crilly, Khan said he was “waiting for police” to arrive to detonate the belt, which later turned out to be fake.

Other bystanders helped to pin Khan down before he was shot dead by police at 14.03.

When asked if he considered himself a hero, Mr Crilly replied: "No. Jack gave up his life, he would be my hero."

Mr Crilly was convicted of murdering 71-year-old Augustine Maduemezia, but his conviction was rescinded after a Supreme Court ruling on joint enterprise law and he was released in 2018.

The court ruled the law on joint enterprise - where defendants were prosecuted for murder even if they did not strike the fatal blow - had been misinterpreted.

After appeal, Mr Crilly pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Following the incident, Mr Crilly spoke highly of Mr Merritt, saying he attended his graduation for an Open University Law degree and was the "best guy I ever met".

He said on Facebook: "(Jack) was killed by a s--- house of a pathetic rubber dingy rapids type terrorist. Jack actually tried helping this guy!

"To educate him. As he educated me. Jack came all the way from Cambridge to be at my graduation… How proud am I to be called Jack Merritt's friend."