Lives were torn apart by ‘82 seconds of terrible drama’ in Westminster attack
Inquest shown distressing video footage of terrorist killing unarmed PC as colleagues fled for lives
UNARMED police officers ran for their lives as an Islamist terrorist breached parliamentary security to stab one of their colleagues to death, in harrowing footage shown at the Westminster attack inquest.
The first day of the inquest was told how lives were “torn apart” in just “82 seconds of high and terrible drama”.
Khalid Masood, 52, went on the rampage in March last year, ploughing into pedestrians as he drove a hire car along Westminster Bridge.
Four innocent bystanders died: Kurt Cochran, 54, an American tourist who died saving his wife’s life; Leslie Rhodes, 75, a retired window cleaner on his way back from a hospital appointment; Aysha Frade, 44, a mother of two who worked in a nearby college; and Andreea Cristea, 31, a Romanian tourist whose body was found in the Thames.
Masood then sat in the rented Hyundai Tucson for about 10 seconds before stumbling out carrying two carving knives, one in each hand. He then “ambled” around the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster and, a little over a minute after he began his attack at 2.40pm on March 22, stabbed to death PC Keith Palmer, an unarmed officer guarding Parliament.
PC Palmer’s death raises serious questions about why police at the time were not carrying weapons while no armed officers were close enough to kill Masood before he could strike. All police on the Palace of Westminster premises are now routinely armed.
Distressing video footage captured Masood, a knife in each hand, stabbing PC Palmer as he lay prone against a low wall in Old Palace Yard after he had stumbled backwards as he fled.
The two colleagues then distracted Masood, dressed all in black, allowing PC Palmer to stand up and try to get away. But by then the fatal blow had already been dealt. The rampage finally came to a halt when Masood, who lived in Birmingham at the time of the attack, was shot three times by a plain clothes officer who had rushed to the scene.
At the inquest at the Old Bailey, presided over by Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft QC, the senior officer in charge of the investigation was questioned over the absence of armed officers positioned at the entrance to Parliament.
Hugo Keith QC, representing the Metropolitan Police, asked Det Supt John Crossley: “He [Masood] had but one sole intention, which was to kill a police officer?” to which the detective replied: “Yes.”
Mr Keith went on: “There was no static position for armed officers at that time [at the Carriage Gates], was there?” The witness replied: “That’s correct.” Instead, firearms officers were on mobile patrol, the Old Bailey heard.
Susannah Stevens, representing the family of PC Palmer, questioned Mr Crossley about which colleagues he had spoken to “when you realised there was an issue about the fact that authorised firearms officers were not in proximity at the Carriage Gates”.
He said he would have discussed it with the Gold Commander for the investigation. The absence of armed officers at the scene will be examined in detail as part of the inquest.
Grieving families walked out of the hearing when other footage showing Masood driving over the bridge was shown. The inquest was told he would have felt and heard every bang and thud as he hit people. Gareth Patterson QC, who represents three families, said the images showed Masood was “deliberately targeting pedestrians”.