| Hateland -
Articles |
28/06/00
- Soho Nail Bomber 'Bad, Not Mentally Ill'
Nail bomber David Copeland was bad rather than mentally
ill when he launched his blitz on minority targets in
London last year, the Old Bailey has heard. The prosecution
accepted Copeland had a personality disorder when he
planted three bombs within 13 days - killing three people
and injuring 129.
Copeland, 24, an engineer from Cove, Farnborough, Hants,
has admitted causing explosions at Brixton, Brick Lane
and Soho in London in April last year. He is being tried
for murder after the prosecution refused to accept his
plea of guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished
responsibility.
In his closing speech for the prosecution, Nigel Sweeney
QC, said his responsibility was not substantially diminished.
He added: "After all he had the choice of how to
deal with his personality difficulties and he chose
to go by the bombing route."
The blast at the mainly gay Admiral Duncan pub in Soho
killed pregnant Andrea Dykes, 27, and friends John Light,
32, and Nik Moore, 31, from Essex. Mr Sweeney told the
jury: "His choice was sufficiently free that when
he first failed to make bombs he simply gave up and
went back to work and resumed an ordinary life.
"He took up jogging, biking and training instead.
It was only one night when bored and reading the Terrorist
Handbook again he chose to go back to it. He chose gays
as a target not because he was compelled by God but
because they were an easier target."
He said it was for the defence to prove that Copeland
was suffering from an abnormality of mind which on the
balance of probabilities substantially diminished his
responsibility at the time. |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
|
|
|
