A Muslim convert held a British soldier by the hair and tried to hack off his head 'like a butcher attacking a joint of meat' after knocking him down with a car at 40mph, the Old Bailey heard today.
Drummer Lee Rigby was 'mutilated, almost decapitated and murdered' by Michael Adebowale, 22, and Michael Adebolajo, 28, who ambushed him outside military barracks in Woolwich, South East London, the jury was told.
The father-of-one, 25, almost had his head sliced off when his 'motionless' body was attacked in a 'cowardly and callous' execution, the prosecution has said.
The family, fiancée and estranged wife of Lee Rigby were at the Old Bailey, but left the courtroom in tears when the jury was shown CCTV of the moment he was knocked down, dragged into the road and hacked to death.
Opening the case against them today, a jury was told the men committed a 'heinous' act.
Prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said Drummer Rigby was hit by their car at up to 40mph as he crossed the road, leaving him helpless on the ground, before his alleged killers dragged him into the road.
The two suspects were brought to the historic Old Bailey in a prison van escorted by armed Metropolitan Police officers in police cars.
The victim's mother, Lyn Rigby, got up and left Court 2 when prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said he was going to show the CCTV images to the court.
She was quickly followed by Mr Rigby's wife, Rebecca, who also looked visibly upset.
Adebowale, also known as Ismail Ibn Abdullah and Adebolajo, also known as Mujaahid Abu Hamza, sat in the dock in silence.
The two defendants, both wearing casual clothes, were flanked by seven prison guards.
Relatives, friends and colleagues of Drummer Rigby sat a short distance from the men, screened by paper erected against the glass of the side of the dock.
Adebolajo and Adebowale deny murdering Drummer Rigby, conspiracy to murder a police officer and attempted murder, each of which they have been charged for.
'Like a butcher attacking a joint of meat': Court hears graphic details of how Muslim convert held unconscious Lee Rigby by the hair as he hacked at his neck with cleaver
Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, accused of killing Fusilier
Lee Rigby, 25, was 'mutilated and almost decapitated', Old Bailey hears
Pair allegedly hit him at 40mph, dragged him into road and murdered him
'They wanted public to see consequences of their barbarous acts,' jury told
Suspects armed with 'meat cleaver, knives and a revolver', prosecution says
Drummer Rigby's family, fiancée, and estranged wife all at the Old Bailey
Suspects deny murdering Fusillier Rigby and attempted murder of policeman
By Chris Greenwood, Rebecca Evans and Martin Robinson
29 November 2013
Daily Mail
Daily Mail
A Muslim convert held a British soldier by the hair and tried to hack off his head 'like a butcher attacking a joint of meat' after knocking him down with a car at 40mph, the Old Bailey heard today.
Drummer Lee Rigby was 'mutilated, almost decapitated and murdered' by Michael Adebowale, 22, and Michael Adebolajo, 28, who ambushed him outside military barracks in Woolwich, South East London, the jury was told.
The father-of-one, 25, almost had his head sliced off when his 'motionless' body was attacked in a 'cowardly and callous' execution, the prosecution has said.
The family, fiancée and estranged wife of Lee Rigby were at the Old Bailey, but left the courtroom in tears when the jury was shown CCTV of the moment he was knocked down, dragged into the road and hacked to death.
In the dock: Michael Adebolajo, 28, left, and Michael Adebowale, 22, right, surrounded by prison officers as they stand accused of murdering the Fusilier as he walked back to Woolwich Barracks on May 22
First day of trial: Family members and loved ones of murdered soldier Lee Rigby (left to right) Ian Rigby, his stepfather, fiancee Aimee West, his sister Sara McClure, and his mother Lyn Rigby arrive at the Old Bailey
Death: Lee Rigby was allegedly run down in the street and hacked to death in south-east London in May
Opening the case against them today, a jury was told the men committed a 'heinous' act.
Prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said Drummer Rigby was hit by their car at up to 40mph as he crossed the road, leaving him helpless on the ground, before his alleged killers dragged him into the road.
'The two men were armed with a meat cleaver and knives. They also had a firearm, a revolver, with them,' Mr Whittam said.
'The driver (Adebolajo) was carrying a cleaver in his hand. He knelt down by Lee Rigby and took hold of his hair. He then repeatedly hacked at the right side of his neck just below the jawline.
'At the same time as Michael Adebolajo used the meat cleaver, Michael Adebowale was using a knife to stab and cut at Lee Rigby's body.'
Amanda Bailey saw the events from inside her Peugeot 206, the jury heard.
She saw the Tigra strike Fusilier Rigby and carry him until the car crashed into a road sign.
'The young man flew off the bonnet and landed about two feet in front of the car,' Mr Whittam said.
'She (Bailey) saw that his eyes were open but they looked frozen.'
Miss Bailey says she saw the driver of the car get out with a meat cleaver in his hand and hack at Mr Rigby's neck up to nine times with 'considerable force.'
Shopkeeper Ibrahim Elidemir and Saraj Miah described the car hitting Lee Rigby at a 'terrible speed', the court heard.
Mr Miah told the two men 'Don't kill him' but the passenger took out a gun and aimed it at him.
Greenwich Borough Council electrician Thomas Seymour, saw a man attack the neck of Fusilier Rigby.
Mr Whittam told the jury: 'Mr Seymour 'instantly believed that he was trying to cut the victim's head off'.'
Another witness, Gary Perkins, described the defendant's actions as being 'like a butcher attacking a joint of meat'.
Mr Whittam added: 'They wanted the members of the public present to see the consequences of what can only be described their barbarous acts.
'They had committed a cowardly and callous murder by deliberately attacking an unarmed man in civilian clothes from behind using a vehicle as a weapon and then they murdered him and mutilated his body with that meat cleaver and knives.'
Opening statements: Michael Adebolajo (left) and Michael Adebowale (second left) sat quietly as the prosecution accused them of running down Lee Rigby before hacking him to death
Father-of-one Mr Rigby, from Middleton, Rochdale, Lancs, died from multiple wounds after being attacked shortly after 2pm on May 22.
Bereft: Rebecca Rigby, widow of Lee Rigby and mother of his son, was also at the Old Bailey today, but left the courtroom when his death was shown to jurors
The victim's mother, Lyn Rigby, got up and left Court 2 when prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said he was going to show the CCTV images to the court.
She was quickly followed by Mr Rigby's wife, Rebecca, who also looked visibly upset.
Adebowale, also known as Ismail Ibn Abdullah and Adebolajo, also known as Mujaahid Abu Hamza, sat in the dock in silence.
The two defendants, both wearing casual clothes, were flanked by seven prison guards.
Relatives, friends and colleagues of Drummer Rigby sat a short distance from the men, screened by paper erected against the glass of the side of the dock.
Adebolajo and Adebowale deny murdering Drummer Rigby, conspiracy to murder a police officer and attempted murder.
Earlier, Mr Whittam told the jury the circumstances of Drummer Rigby's death are 'shocking'.
He said: 'It is important that you do not let emotion or sympathy affect your judgement in this case.
'The prosecution seeks only true verdicts on the evidence as you find it to be, nothing more and nothing less.'
Mr Whittam said the attack was in 'distinct contrast' to the 'bravery and decency' shown by witnesses.
He said: 'Despite the abhorrence of the scene one woman went up to the lifeless body of Lee Rigby and stroked him to provide some comfort and humanity to what had unfolded.
Security: A prison van carrying accused Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale arrives at the Old Bailey
Police: An armed Metropolitan Police convoy escorts the prison van containing the Woolwich murder suspects
'Others went to see if they could provide first aid. Another woman engaged Michael Adebolajo in conversation despite the fact that he was still holding the meat cleaver and his hands were covered in blood.'
After the murder Adebolajo 'brandished' the gun at a lorry driver as the killers passed the weapon between them, the court heard.
Mr Whittam said that they used the gun to frighten off bystanders as they waited for police.
When a police vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, both men moved 'immediately' towards it.
Adebolajo moved more quickly, raising the meat cleaver above his head and getting 'very close' to the officers.
Adebowale, who was running along a wall, raised the gun - which was not loaded - and aimed it at police.
Mr Whittam said: 'The vehicle contained armed police officers who were forced to engage both defendants with live ammunition.'
Both men were 'shot and detained' before police started first aid which saved their lives, the jury was told.
The court heard the risk to the public was 'very real' and the attack took place 'within yards' of Mulgrave Primary School.
Children returning to school from the library were turned back by members of the public so they did not see the 'awful scene'.
'Others did see what happened, the young, old, and a heavily pregnant woman took refuge on a bus once she heard gunshots,' Mr Whittam said.
Some of the bullets fired by police missed the men and hit an adjacent wall and a wiring box below a block of flats.
The jury were told they will be shown CCTV and photographs showing how close innocent people were to the atrocity.
Michael Adebolajo was born in Lewisham, south London and is aged 28, the Old Bailey heard.
At the time of the attack he was living at the time in Forest Hill, south London.
Grief: Flowers were left at the spot in Woolwich where Drummer Lee Rigby died on May 22 this year
Michael Adebowale was born in Eltham, south London and is aged 22. He lived in Greenwich, south east London.
Tragedy: Drummer Lee Rigby relaxing on leave from the army in the year before his death
The court heard he was brought up a Christian and converted to Islam when he was 17.
His parents continued to call him by his middle name, Tobi, even after his conversion to Islam when he adopted the name Ismael.
Mr Whittam told the jury that both men 'planned to kill Drummer Rigby and took weapons to the scene.
He said they also conspired to kill a police officer, waiting at the murder scene for officers to arrive.
'It is clear there was an agreement to attack police when they arrived,' he said.
Mr Whittam said the pair also attempted to kill a police officer and almost succeeded.
He said: 'What would have happened if the police officers had not been armed, or that the police officer in the rear seat had not acted as swiftly and effectively as he did?'
He added that Adebolajo may claim he was trying to force police to shoot him.
Mr Whittam said: 'It matters not that he might have caused a police officer to shoot him or that he might have lost his life in the process.'
The trial continues.
LEE RIGBY: OLD BAILEY TOLD ABOUT LIFE LOST AT WOOLWICH
Lee Rigby joined the Army in July 2006 and joined the Corps of Drums and posted to the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the jury was told.
His first posting was in 2006 to Cyprus. In 2007, he joined the Corps of Drums in the machine gun platoon on a mission to Jordan where he learned to be a machine gunner.
The battalion returned to London in 2008 and he became an 'integral member' of the Corps of Drums.
His public duties included being part of the Household Division’s Beating the Retreat on Horse Guards, a 'special honour for an infantry Corps of Drums.'
In 2009, he joined operations in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, serving as a machine gunner as part of a fire support group.
On his return to Britain, he completed a second tour of public duties and then moved to Germany where he was held in readiness for 'contingency operations' as part of the Small Scale Contingency Battle Group.
In 2011, Fusilier Rigby took up a recruiting post in London where he also assisted with duties at regimental headquarters in the Tower of London and was based at Woolwich barracks in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
He was 'callously' murdered on May 22 this year, the prosecution said today.
SUSPECT BOUGHT FIVE KNIVES AND SHARPENER FROM ARGOS ON DAY BEFORE LEE RIGBY'S 'MURDER'
The Old Bailey jury were today told about what Adebolajo, above at a previous hearing, and Adebowale did in the 48 hours before Fusilier Rigby died.
The jury was shown images including maps indicating where each suspect lived, and an aerial photograph of the barracks.
Adebowale last saw his father on May 19 and they arranged to meet the following day but Adebowale failed to show up at Charing Cross station, the court heard.
Mr Whittam added: 'The next time his father was to see him was when he watched the news on May 22.'
The Vauxhall Tigra allegedly used to knock down Lee Rigby was seen in Lewisham at 1.52pm on May 21, and at 2.01pm Adebolajo went to the Lewisham branch of Argos where he purchased a five-piece set of kitchen knives in a block and a knife sharpener, the jury was told.
The vehicle was seen leaving the area around his home at 8am on May 22 with Adebolajo driving, the court heard.
Adebolajo filled up with petrol but told the shop he did not have any money or identification, Mr Whittam said, and produced a Koran, but did not want to leave the book there.
He offered his phone as security and told the shop assistant not to answer if it rang, the jury heard.
After a trip home, Adebolajo returned and paid for the petrol and then headed towards Adebowale's address at around 9.30am, It is alleged.
Father-of-one Mr Rigby, from Middleton, Rochdale, Lancs, died from multiple wounds after being attacked shortly after 2pm on May 22.
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