Finsbury Park attack trial: Darren Osborne hoped to kill Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan at London march

Patrick Grafton-Green30 January 2018
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The alleged Finsbury Park attacker has claimed he wanted to kill Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan, adding the chance to target the latter would be “like winning the lottery”.

Darren Osborne said he and two people called Terry Jones and Dave had planned to attack the pro-Palestinian Al Quds march in London, which they believed Mr Corbyn would be attending.

Prosecutors have alleged the 48-year-old deliberately mowed down Muslims outside two mosques in north London using a van shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year.

He took to the witness stand at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday to give evidence.

Met Police handout image from body worn video recorded following Osborne's initial detention
PA

The defendant said the trio had initially conspired to attack Rochdale Labour councillor Aftab Hussain, who he said had backed one of the members of a grooming gang, but changed their minds.

"We just wanted more casualties," Osborne told the jury.

Darren Osborne is on trial over the attack in Finsbury Park
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Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC, cross-examining, said: "More people dead if possible?"

Osborne replied: "Oh yeah."

The scene at Seven Sisters Road where the van involved mounted the pavement
Jeremy Selwyn

The defendant, who denies being the driver of the vehicle involved in the Finsbury Park collision, said he met Terry and Dave in Grosvenor Square on June 18, where the Al Qud march was due to finish.

Mr Rees said: "Were you hoping that you would have an opportunity to attack Jeremy Corbyn and kill him?"

Darren Osborne in the witness box at Woolwich Crown Court
PA

Osborne replied "oh yeah", adding: "It would be one less terrorist off our streets."

He went on: "If Sadiq Khan had been there it would have been even better. It would have been like winning the lottery."

He said "road blocks" had "thwarted their plans" to disrupt the demonstration, and they later met again in Finsbury Park where they looked for a mosque.

Treating the wounded: Paramedics and police at the scene of the crash in Finsbury Park (James Gourley/Rex )
James Gourley/Rex

Osborne said he was earlier driving the van, but was in the footwell of the passenger seat removing his trousers before the collision near two mosques.

Defence barrister Lisa Wilding QC said: "Did you know who was the driver of the van?"

The defendant replied: "A guy called Dave."

Asked if he had contact with Dave and Terry after the attack, Osborne told the court: "We were planning to form a group, like the Welsh far-right group.

"We were going to call ourselves the 'Taffia'."

Earlier Mr Rees said the final evidence would deal with the issue of who was driving at the time of the attack and whether the alleged perpetrator acted with others.

DC Paul Dring, of the Met Police, said he was told by Osborne during an urgent safety interview conducted at University College Hospital that no one else was involved, the court heard.

According to a statement read by Mr Rees, he asked: "In terms of what happened today, is there anyone else involved?

"To which Mr Osborne replied 'No'."

Osborne added at the end of the interview "I'm flying solo", Mr Rees told the jury.

The court was also shown footage from the body camera of PC David Jones, who is said to have handcuffed Osborne while he was on the ground after the incident.

A man the prosecution say is Osborne can be heard saying in the back of the police vehicle "I lost control of the van" and "lost control, man".

Mr Jones said: "Were you driving, yeah?"

The man is heard to reply: "Yeah."

Asked if he had been drinking, the man said he had consumed a "couple of pints".

Osborne, of Glyn Rhosyn in Cardiff, denies the murder of Makram Ali, 51, and the attempted murder of "persons at the junction of Seven Sisters Road and Whadcoat Street, London".

Additional reporting by Press Association

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