Witness describes tense stand-off with terrorist accused of murdering Sir David Amess

A witness has described in vivid detail his tense stand-off with a knife-wielding terrorist accused of murdering Southend West MP Sir David Amess.

Darren King said he immediately became aware of the danger posed by the suspect, 26-year-old Ali Harbi Ali, as the pair came face to face inside Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex in October 2021.

He said he rushed into the building from outside when he heard what had happened, and tried to "calm" Ali, who stood clutching a blood-stained carving knife in one hand, while shouting on the phone to his "hysterical" sister.

In one exchange, recalled to police hours after the stabbing and captured on police video, Mr King said: "He (Ali) said: 'I want to be shot'.

"I said: They (police) do that in America, not so much over here."

Mr King said he saw Sir David's body "crumpled up on the floor" in a vestry room at the back of the church as he tried to reason with the suspect and let him tend to the casualty, whom he had known for years.

He said: "My one eye was looking at David to see if I could see movement, the other eye was on the knife - it was a big knife.

"Me, not having anything except two hands, I thought: 'I'm gonna keep an eye on him'."

The witness said Ali also tried to justify his actions, which jurors previously heard was to do with the government's Syrian bombing campaign.

Mr King said: "It was all on Syria, the Iraq war, the innocent people who died over there, he wants to kill David, all the MPs that voted for the bombing.

"And he wanted to die. (He said): I want to be shot.

"I said: Why do you want to die? You're talking to your sister - how's she gonna feel if you die?

"He said: I'm gonna be a martyr, I'm gonna die a hero.

"And I said: No, you're just gonna be dead, mate."

Mr King told police he eventually persuaded Ali to step to one side so he could treat Sir David, but retreated the moment he heard police sirens.

He said: "I heard the sirens, I moved back to the doorway, saw the two plain clothes fellas.

"They rushed in, started effing and blinding 'put that effing knife down', and eventually they came out with him."

Earlier in the day his political aide described the moment she heard a "piercing scream" during the constituency surgery where Sir David Amess was stabbed to death.

Julie Cushion, a long-term member of the Southend West politician's constituency staff, recalled the moment, just five minutes after Ali Harbi Ali was called to his appointment with Sir David.

Giving evidence from behind a screen at the Old Bailey, Ms Cushion, who made the first 999 call from the scene at 12.07pm, said the pair had engaged in "chit-chat" when Ali arrived, before being led into a back room to meet Sir David.

Her voice cracking with emotion, she said: "A piercing scream was the first thing I heard.

"And then a very loud crash which I assumed was furniture going over.

"I got up and walked through, I assumed something structurally had happened.

"Rebecca [Hayton, a fellow aide] came running towards me screaming that Sir David had been stabbed, he was on the floor.

"At that moment I picked up my phone to call for help."

Asked how Ali looked, Ms Cushion said: "Self-satisfaction, I would describe it."

Ms Cushion, who described Sir David as a "close friend", said meetings had traditionally been held in his constituency office where there was security in place, but he decided to hold surgeries in other locations locally after coronavirus restrictions were lifted because he "wanted to be accessible to his constituents".

Ali had managed to arrange an appointment with Sir David by duping his office into believing he was a healthcare worker moving to the area, who wished to discuss local matters.

Jurors have been shown CCTV footage of Ali's near-two-and-a-half-hour journey from his home in north London to the appointment in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, on train and by foot along busy high streets and residential areas.

He arrived at the church as planned but then sent a WhatsApp message to family and friends seeking to justify his actions, telling Sir David he was "sorry" before stabbing him with a carving knife 21 times and sending Ms Cushion and fellow aide Ms Hayton fleeing to safety.

Ali, from Kentish Town, has denied preparing terrorist acts and murder.

The trial continues.