UK MP murder accused won't offer defence

The man accused of murdering British MP Jo Cox will not give evidence in his defence, a court has heard.

Thomas Mair

The man accused of murdering British MP Jo Cox owned Nazi memorabilia, his trial has heard. (AAP)

An alleged far right extremist accused of murdering British Labour MP Jo Cox has opted not to give evidence in his defence.

Thomas Mair, 53, allegedly shot and stabbed the mother-of-two as she arrived at Birstall library for a surgery on the afternoon of June 16 - a week before the EU referendum.

The court has heard Mair shouted "Britain first" during the brutal attack, had a stash of neo-Nazi material at his home in the West Yorkshire town and had collected a dossier on his 41-year-old Remain campaigning MP.

At the conclusion of the prosecution case, his lawyer Simon Russell Flint, QC, told the Old Bailey trial that the defendant would not be going into the witness box.

He said he called no evidence on behalf of Mair.

Mair denies Cox's murder, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon - a dagger.

He also pleads not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to pensioner Bernard Kenny when he tried to stop the attack on Cox.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world