Finsbury Park attack trial as it happened: Court hears of moment van 'intentionally' driven into crowd near mosque

Darren Osborne in court for fourth day of trial, where he denies murder and attempted murder

Tributes and flowers at a police cordon in Finsbury Park following a vehicle attack on pedestrians (AFP/Getty Images)

The Finsbury Park terror trial has heard evidence from crash analysts and other experts as the prosecution closed its case against Darren Osborne.

The 48-year-old father, from Cardiff, is accused of deliberately ploughing a van into a crowd of Muslim worshippers leaving Ramadan prayers on 19 June last year.

Makram Ali, a 51-year-old grandfather who had previously collapsed and was surrounded by well-wishers at the time, died of his injuries and nine other people were seriously wounded.

A pathologist told the court Mr Ali had not suffered a heart attack and was killed by "catastrophic" injuries caused by being run over.

Reports by forensic crash investigators found that Mr Osborne sped up and "intentionally steered" the van into pedestrians and did not brake as he hit them, the jury was told.

Mr Osborne, of Glyn Rhosyn, denies murder and attempted murder at Woolwich Crown Court and the hearing has adjourned until Friday morning.

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Earlier this week Woolwich Crown Court heard evidence from survivors of the attack and witnesses.

Men who saw Mr Ali fall to the ground said he was alive and talking, with passers by calling an ambulance before the van hit and left victims “splattered all over the place”.

A chilling 999 call that captured the moment of the attack was played to the court, showing survivor Adnan Mohamud relaying Mr Ali’s condition to the operator before his voice was cut off.

Shouting and screaming can be heard in the background, with people calling their loved ones’ names, before Mr Mohamud comes back on to the phone to say: “Someone just came in a big white van and ran over a lot of people…people are dead, he just ran over everyone.”

Mr Ali died of his injuries and nine other people were seriously wounded, with Mr Benaounda saying he could “feel my bones breaking” when the vehicle hit.

Witnesses told the jury Mr Osborne crashed the vehicle into a bollard and got out attempting to flee, but found himself at a dead end and was forced to run back towards the scene.

Survivors claimed that he was “constantly smiling” as he was restrained by the crowd, telling them: “I’ve done my job, you can kill me now.”

Mohammed Mahmoud, the imam of the nearby Muslim Welfare House, said a member of his congregation ran into the mosque and said there had been an attack shortly after midnight.

“As soon as I arrived, I saw bodies left and right,” he told the court.

“I saw Mr Ali on the floor having CPR and I saw the attacker on the floor face-down with two or three people on top of him.”

Mr Mahmoud told the jury around a dozen people were trying to kick and punch Mr Osborne until he approached and told them to get back and call the police, leaving him “unscathed”.

The imam described the atmosphere as “incredibly heated” and told the court he was concerned Mr Osborne would be injured, adding: “There's a rule of law that must be respected and we shouldn't let our emotions and our desire to see vengeance dictate our decisions.”

He was one of several people who then flagged down a passing police van, with officers arresting Mr Osborne and later recording expletive-filled rants on a body-worn camera.

Clips played to the court showed the defendant accusing Muslims of “hunting in packs” and raping white women across the UK, while making a series of racist comments.

While repeatedly referring to Rotherham and grooming, Mr Osborne was also heard attacking Jeremy Corbyn, Lily Allen, the Iraq War and the Labour party, sarcastically repeating the phrase “don't look back in anger” and claiming: “Someone has got to rise up.”

“Sadiq Khan, what's he up to tomorrow, eh?'' he said, before bursting into laughter.

The trial continues.

Key Points

• Woolwich Crown Court hears evidence from crash analysts and experts as the prosecution closes its case
• Makram Ali did not suffer a heart attack and was alive and talking when the van hit, pathologist says
• Mr Ali died of 'catastrophic' injuries caused by being run over
• Van was 'intentionally steered' into pedestrians by Mr Osborne
• Attack survivors previously told jury Mr Osborne accelerated van into crowd helping ill man
• Man knocked out of wheelchair, blind victim and man with artificial leg among the injured
• ‘I’ve done my job, you can kill me now,’ Mr Osborne allegedly said as crowd restrained him
• Court played clips of police body-worn camera footage showing anti-Muslim rants in van

[25 January 2018 08:25 · Lizzie Dearden]

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the fourth day of the Finsbury Park terror attack trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

Darren Osborne denies murder and attempted murder after allegedly hiring a van and ramming it deliberately into Muslim worshippers leaving Ramadan prayers, killing one man and injuring several others.

Here is a summary of what the court heard yesterday:

[25 January 2018 10:38 · Lizzie Dearden]

The jury has arrived and the court is in session, with the first person to give evidence Home Office pathologist Dr Simon Poole.

[25 January 2018 10:47 · Lizzie Dearden]

Mr Ali, had a pacemaker implanted, Dr Poole says.

He is now taking the jury of an 'injury model' of his body.

[25 January 2018 10:56 · Lizzie Dearden]

Dr Poole is listing extensive injuries, including lacerations, grazes and bruising to Mr Ali's head, back and arms.

He tells the court all are consistent with being run over by a vehicle.

[25 January 2018 10:59 · Lizzie Dearden]

Dr Poole describes Mr Ali's internal injuries as "catastrophic" and says they were caused by the weight of the van that ran him over.

[25 January 2018 11:06 · Lizzie Dearden]

Dr Poole is listing the bones in Mr Ali's body that were broken by the impact, which include every one of his ribs, his collarbone and breast bone.

There was bleeding around his jaw and internal injuries to his lungs, which had both collapsed.

All are "totally consistent" with being run over by a van, Dr Poole says.

[25 January 2018 11:09 · Lizzie Dearden]

Dr Poole says there were two "catastrophic" injuries to the aorta - the largest artery in the body that takes blood and oxygen to vital organs - causing it to be detached from the heart.

[25 January 2018 11:18 · Lizzie Dearden]

Separate findings on Mr Ali's injuries will be presented later by a cardiologist and neuropathologist.

[25 January 2018 11:22 · Lizzie Dearden]

Dr Poole says Mr Ali "certainly wasn't a well man" and suffered a condition affecting the muscles of his heart and its movement.

He had a history of chronic heart failure, meaning that it wasn't working properly and "didn't work effectively as a pump"

[25 January 2018 11:26 · Lizzie Dearden]

But Dr Poole says CCTV of the incident confirms witness accounts that Mr Ali was alive and talking when he was hit by the van.

Another doctor has downloaded and analysed recordings from Mr Ali's pacemaker