Man who drove van into London mosque worshippers jailed for 43 years

LONDON: A British man found guilty of murder after he drove a van into Muslim worshippers outside a London mosque last June, leaving one dead and injuring many more, was jailed for life on Friday and told he would serve at least 43 years behind bars.

Darren Osborne became obsessed with Muslims after watching a BBC TV drama about child sex abuse involving British Pakistani men and just weeks later carried out the attack in Finsbury Park, north London.

The 48-year-old killed Makram Ali, 51, and injured 12 others, two seriously. He was found guilty on Thursday of murder and attempted murder after the jury took less than an hour to reach their verdict.

“This was a terrorist attack. You intended to kill,” said judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, sentencing him at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London.

“You had not been radicalised over a long period of time but your rapid decline into irrational hatred of all Muslims turned you into a danger to the public,” she added. “You will pose a significant risk to members of the public .. for a very long time, perhaps for the rest of your life.”