Terror victims were hit ‘like bowling pins’

● Inquest hears of assault on pedestrians during 82 seconds of Westminster attack

The Westminster terrorist would have felt and heard every bang and thud as he mowed down pedestrians like “human bowling pins”, an inquest has heard.

In just 82 seconds, Khalid Masood deliberately targeted four people on Westmin- ster Bridge before stabbing Pc Keith Palmer to death at the gates of parliament.

Grieving families walked out asdisturbingcctvwasplayed on the first day of an inquest into the victims’ deaths at the Old Bailey.

It showed Masood driving erratically towards the Houses of Parliament, mounting the pavement and striking Amertourist

0 From left: Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade,pc Keith Palmer, Andreea Cristea and Leslie Rhodes, were all killed by terrorist Khalid Masood

ican tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian

Andreea Cristea, 31. Bus cam video showed Ms Frade being thrown into the air while Ms Cristea was seen

plunging over a balustrade. Masood’s rented Hyundai Tucson had been going an average of 31mph before crashing into railings at the perimeter of the Palace of Westminster.

There were no armed officers nearby when Masood, armed with two large knives, stabbed unarmed Pc Palmer.

He was eventually shot dead by a plainclothes officer who had rushed to the scene.

After the attack on 22 March last year, eight officers working six days a week took four months to watch all the CCTV footage recovered, a total of 6,000 hours, just ten hours of which was “usable”.

Twelve people were arrested during the investigation, all of whom were released without charge.

Detective Superintendent John Crossley said: “From every inquiry we have done, we have not identified any other person involved in this and it’s my belief Masood acted alone.”

Gareth Patterson QC, who represents three grieving families, said the images showed Masood was “deliberately targeting pedestrians”.

He said it appeared people were being hit like “human bowling pins” and

“thrown in the air like rag dolls”. He said witnesses described “the noise and the repeated thuds and bangs of the impact”.

Questioning Mr Crossley, he said: “The driver Masood, behind the wheel, would have seen and heard every impact as he drove over the bridge.

“And so, is it right, your assessment, when you stand back and look at the gravity of what happened, there is no getting away from the barbarity of what happened and the inhumanity of what took place?

“This was terrorism of an indiscriminate type and whatever he thought about the values of democracy, it was those values of democracy that led police officers to try to save his life at the end of this.” Mr Crossley agreed. Earlier, families of the victims described their devastation and anger.

Pc Palmer’s sister Angela said: “Keith died protecting strangers whilst doing his job and he will be remembered by many for his courage and bravery.”

The inquest continues.