Death to traitors, freedom for Britain
MAN ACCUSED OF MURDERING MP JO COX TELLS COURT THAT’S HIS NAME.. AS HER FAMILY VISIT SITE OF TRAGEDY
THE man accused of killing MP Jo Cox stunned a packed courtroom yesterday as he stood in the dock and uttered the words: “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain.”
Tommy Mair had merely been asked to give his name.
He then repeated the phrase in full when asked again for his name by Emma Arbuthnot, one of Britian’s most senior magistrates.
It was the only time Mair, a 52-year-old out of work gardener, spoke during the hearing, which lasted less than half an hour.
The bearded, balding accused remained silent when the magistrate asked him for his address and date of birth.
He stood in a prison issue grey sweat shirt and tracksuit bottoms, cuffed to a guard behind a bullet proof dock. Mair stared into space as a prosecution lawyer set out the case against him at Westminster magistrates court in Marylebone, Central London.
Labour MP Jo, 41, was shot and stabbed to death in broad daylight outside a Tesco store in Birstall, near Batley, West Yorks, on Thursday afternoon.
She had been on her way to a surgery for constituents at Birstall library. Jo, referred to in court by her full name Helen Joanne Cox, was pronounced dead at 1.48pm.
A postmortem examination by Dr Ben Raynor confirmed the cause of death was multiple stab and gunshot wounds.
Bernard Carter-Kenny, 77, was stabbed in the abdomen after attempting to come to Jo’s aid while he waited in his car for his wife to come out of the library.
He managed to flee to a nearby sandwich shop before he was rushed to hospital. Mr Kenny is in the high dependency unit at Leeds General Infirmary.
Mair was arrested at 1.45pm by two police constables who were on duty in the area.
He is charged with Jo’s murder, GBH, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possessionsession of an offensive weapon on
He has not enteredtered pleas to any of the charges. harges.
After being remandedemanded in custody, Mair was led down to a cell before efore being put in na a prison van andnd driven to Belmarsh prison.
He is due too appear at the e Old Bailey y tomorrow.