Jo Cox’s killer Thomas Mair asks for permission to speak after five months of silence – and the judge refuses saying: ‘You’re no patriot’
TRAGIC Jo Cox's Nazi-obsessed murderer Thomas Mair was prevented from breaking his five month silence in court by a judge who slammed him as "no patriot".
Footage released by police after Mair was handed a whole life sentence today shows him sat in silence as he was asked by officers why he murdered the mother-of-two and Labour MP.
The far-right murderer wouldn't give evidence during his Old Bailey trial but asked to speak once he was jailed.
Judge Mr Justice Wilkie refused to his request and said: "You are no patriot.
"By your actions you have betrayed the quintessence of our country, its adherence to parliamentary democracy.
"You have not even had the courage to admit and acknowledge what you did.
"You have, instead, forced the prosecution to prove this case in detail, withholding your agreement to anything which would have lessened that task, thereby adding, I have no doubt deliberately, to the anguish of Jo Cox's family and the witnesses to these awful events forced, as they have been, to relive them.
"There is no doubt that this murder was done for the purpose of advancing a political, racial and ideological cause namely that of violent white supremacism and exclusive nationalism most associated with Nazism and its modern forms."
Jo Cox's grieving husband has said he 'pities' the Nazi-obsessed murderer who will die in prison for slaughtering his wife in the street.
Brendan Cox said Britain is 'ashamed' of Thomas Mair, 53, who shot and stabbed the mum-of-two outside her constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, a week before June's EU referendum.
Mr Cox was speaking after the jury of eight men and four women took just over 90 minutes to find Mair guilty of murder, inflicting GBH with intent, possession of a firearm and possession of a dagger.
He was also convicted of stabbing have-a-go hero Bernard Kenny, 77, as he tried to save the Labour MP for Batley and Spen.
Mair showed no emotion as the verdict was handed down while the MP's family, including her parents Gordon and Jean Leadbeater, sister Kim and her husband Brendan, sat in silence.
Mr Cox, who yesterday described Mair as "cowardice personified" in a tweet, said he had "no interest" in his wife's killer but does 'pity' him.
Speaking outside the Old Bailey, he said: "For her killer we have nothing but pity that his life was so devoid of love, consumed by hatred that this act was his desperate, cowardly attempt to find meaning.
"An act designed to drive communities apart has instead brought them together, an act designed to silence a voice has instead allowed millions of others to hear it.
"Although she is dead the opinions and values she held so dear will live on."
He added: "To the world Jo was a member of parliament and a campaigner, but first and foremost she was a sister, a daughter, auntie, wife and above all a mother to two children - all their lives they have been enveloped by her love.
"We now focus on how lucky we were to have her in our lives for so long."
Jo's sister Kim said: "It's been a very difficult few months for our family - the last few days have been particularly hard.
"We are relieved that this process is over and take comfort from today's verdict."
She added: "Whilst we can't change what's happened, we can try and chose how we respond - I for one will not be beaten.
"It's the last thing my sister would have wanted and it's not who I am.
"As a family we will respond with strength, love and positivity."
After the sentence was read, Mr Cox took to Twitter to post a picture of his wife with a message, which read: "We hope the country will take something from this. That Jo's death will have meaning.
"That those in politics, the media or in our own communities who seek to divide us will face an unassailable wall of British tolerance and the articulation of Jo's belief - that we hold more in common than that which divides us."
Hero pensioner Bernard Kenny, 77, who couldn't attend the trial, said in a statement directed at Mair: "What you did was a pure act of evil, taking a life so easily without any qualms or care for all of the people it would affect.
"I know what I did was not enough to save Jo and sometimes I feel it was not enough.
"But faced with you and that day again I would do the same thing because it is simply the right thing to do."
Mair was jailed for 30 years for the attack on Mr Kenny and sentences of 20 years and four years for the possession of the gun and knife respectively - each will be served concurrently.
Sentencing Mr Justice Wilkie said: "There is no doubt this murder was done for the advancing of a political and ideological cause - violent white supremacism and exclusive nationalism most associated with Nazism in its modern forms.
"This was a brutal, ruthless example of such a murder committed with determination.
"You armed yourself with a gun and a vicious dagger."
He told Mair: "In the true meaning of the word, Jo Cox was a patriot. You effect to be a patriot, but the words you uttered when you killed her paid lip service to the concept, which can be a legitimate one.
'But in your mouth, the words were twisted and made toxic."
The court previously heard how Mair, who kept a hoard of Nazi memorabilia, had targeted the 41-year-old politician because her anti-Brexit view opposed his.
Lone wolf Mair radicalised himself in far-right internet binges at his local library then struck with terrifying precision in the two-minute cowardly attack.
He nearly killed brave Mr Kenny after plunging a dagger into is chest when he tried to save Jo.
And it was only the bravery of passerby Darren Playford who gave cops live updates to his movements and appearance to stop him hurting anyone else.
Jo’s husband Brendan Cox described his wife's killer as "cowardice personified" in a tweet after attending court for the first time in the trial yesterday.
Jeremy Corbyn said the murder was "an attack on democracy, and has robbed the world of an ambassador of kindness and compassion".
Mair yesterday refused to give evidence at the trial and sat slack-jawed in the dock while his silk Simon Russell Flint QC told the hearing of his decision.
Following the verdict, Sue Hemming, Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service said: "On 16 June, Thomas Mair carried out the brutal murder of Jo Cox - a defenceless mother of two young children who served her constituents with passion, exuberance and vitality and was proud to represent a diverse community.
"Several people courageously intervened to try and save Ms Cox, including 77 year old Bernard Kenny who was stabbed by Mair and sustained serious injuries as a result.
"Mair has offered no explanation for his actions but the prosecution was able to demonstrate that, motivated by hate, his pre-meditated crimes were nothing less than acts of terrorism designed to advance his twisted ideology.
"The CPS worked closely with police from the outset of their thorough investigation to build a strong case.
"This included the evidence of a number of brave eye witnesses who are to be commended.
"A jury has now unanimously agreed on Mair’s guilt of all offences committed during this disturbing attack.
"Our thoughts are with Jo Cox’s family who attended the court hearing and have behaved with real strength and dignity throughout.
"The CPS will continue to work with criminal justice partners to combat those who seek to sow hatred and division by advancing extremist ideologies."
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The Old Bailey earlier heard that when police searched Mair's Birstall home, where he had lived alone since 1996 following the death of his grandmother, they found a Third Reich golden eagle featuring a swastika on top of his bookcase.
Cops also found Nazi badges and a “Deutschland” cap, as well as a large collection of far-Right and white supremacist books and magazines.
Titles included March of the Titans: A History of the White Race and SS Race Theory and Mate Selection Guidelines.
The court was told the search unearthed press cuttings on Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik and a dossier on Mrs Cox.
Jurors were shown printouts found at the home of Thomas Mair which contained information about the 41-year-old politician.
The Old Bailey was told police also recovered computer printouts containing information about Jo, including one statement in which she had said: "I believe the patriotic choice is to vote for 'Britain to remain inside the EU'."
Mair denied the brutal attack on Jo Cox, who was making her way to a constituency surgery at Birstall library when she was murdered.
The Labour MP for Batley and Spen suffered 15 stab wounds and three gunshot injuries in the attack on June 16, while hero pensioner Bernard Kenny was knifed once as he tried to intervene.
She was shot three times and stabbed 15 times with a dagger.
One bullet hole showed she placed her left hand over her face as the gun was fired.
Mrs Cox’s tights had holes in the knees suggesting she had tried to crawl away from her attacker, jurors were told.
The court earlier heard that she had shouted at her aides to escape, saying: "Let him hurt me, don't let him hurt you."
Jurors last week heard how the MP was executed with hollow-point bullets, which expand on impact.
A plastic bag in a holdall found next to Mair held 25 live .22 calibre rounds.
Twelve were lead hollow-point cartridges which are normally used by hunters to kill animals.
Firearms expert Andre Horne told Old Bailey jurors they are designed to kill with one shot.
He said: “The idea is to cause a greater wound size, which would be considered a more humane way of disposing of animals.”
Jurors were also shown a .22 calibre Weihrauch rifle found in Mair’s holdall, which had been modified to be fired one-handed.
The court heard Mair had lived alone in his council house in Birstall since 1996.
Police seized computers from libraries in Birstall and Batley which Mair had used to look at more far-right material and search for information on Mrs Cox and .22 rifles.
On April 6, he looked at the American neo-Nazi news site Daily Stormer before searching for Dylann Roof, who was suspected of killing nine black Americans in Charleston in 2015, the court heard.
He also allegedly searched for the Ku Klux Klan, former BNP leaders and matricide, the court heard.
Jurors were shown a YouTube video that Mair watched on June 7 of an American man shooting a .22 sawn-off shotgun in a field, filmed from a head-cam.
This was the same day he was said to have searched for Mrs Cox on Wikipedia and Google Images.
Neighbour Katie Green, who had lived near the man she knows as 'Tommy' for 13 years told jurors: "[He was] very quiet, very shy and I didn't see any visitors."
She said Mair was a very keen gardener who spent a lot of time outside maintaining his own and other people's gardens.
Ms Green said her neighbour, who would almost always wear a baseball cap, had once cut the grass at her house.
Giving evidence by videolink from Leeds Crown Court, the mother said she had seen Mair on the morning of Mrs Cox's murder.
"He had a pair of dark trousers on, a dark khaki jacket and a cream baseball cap," she said, adding that he was carrying three or four bags.
"He always carried bags."
Mair was sentenced to life in prison with a whole-life term, due to its exceptional seriousness.
Speaking after the sentencing, senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen said: "It is still hard to comprehend the magnitude of what happened in the quiet market town of Birstall on that day in June.
"The murder of Jo Cox is a tragedy on so many levels. At the centre is the devastation caused by the loss of a mother, a wife, daughter, sister and friend; but this killing, the first of a serving, female, Member of Parliament is also felt acutely by the local community, by the people of this country and across the world.
"Jo Cox MP championed the democracy and inclusivity of this country and for that she paid the ultimate price.
"Thomas Mair is a cold blooded killer. He calmly planned her death, lay in wait and then killed Jo in a sustained attack as she went about her daily business of trying to help people in her local community.
"I would like to pay tribute to the people who bravely came to Jo's assistance at the scene, one of whom, Bernard Kenny, nearly died as a result of injuries inflicted by Mair.
"I would also like to praise the courage of the two unarmed neighbourhood police officers who arrested Mair just minutes after, while he was still armed with a gun and a knife.
"I cannot praise highly enough Jo Co's family. Throughout what must be the most terrible of times, they have acted with nothing other than stoicism and dignity seeking only to ensure that Jo's legacy is a positive and lasting one.
"This joint investigation between West Yorkshire Police and the North East Counter Terrorism Unit sought to understand the man that Thomas Mair is.
"He had never come to the notice of the Police before, living a solitary lifestyle with no social circle around him.
"This was a murder motivated by Mai's apparent political and ideological beliefs involving the use of a firearm and as such was an act of terrorism.
"Evidence of his interest in extreme right wing has been uncovered. Nothing can excuse the evil and the horror his actions brought to the town of Birstall on the 16th of June this year."
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