Man charged with killing Jo Cox said in court his name is ‘death to traitors, freedom for Britain’
Tommy Mair, 52, is accused of shooting and stabbing the mum-of-two in Birstall, near Leeds
THE man charged with murdering Labour MP Jo Cox gave his name as "death to traitors, freedom for Britain" when he appeared in court this morning.
Tommy Mair, 52, appeared in court shortly after 10am today over the killing of the mum-of-two in Birstall, near Leeds, West Yorkshire, on Thursday.
Mair, wearing a grey prison issue tracksuit and with a bald head and beard, spoke to state his name.
When asked his name he responded: "death to traitors, freedom for Britain".
Dressed in a police-issue grey sweat shirt and tracksuit bottoms, balding Mair appeared jaded but stood as Deputy Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot entered.
After his handcuffs were removed, Mair was asked by the court clerk to stand and then for his name.
The defendant looked towards the bench and said softly: “My name is Death To Traitors, Freedom For Britain.”
Puzzled Judge Arbuthnot, deputy chief magistrate for England and Wales, replied: “Pardon, sorry?”
Mair then repeated the name. After a long pause, the clerk then asked for his date of birth and home address.
When also asked for his address and date of birth Mair said nothing.
His lawyers confirmed his name was Thomas Mair afterwards.
West Yorkshire Police arrested Mair, 52, on Thursday and he was last night charged with murder.
He appeared behind reinforced glass at Westminster Magistrates' Court this morning charged with the murder of Jo Cox, with possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon - a knife.
He is also charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Bernard Carter-Kenny, 77, who was also allegedly attacked at the same time by Mair.
He was remanded in custody to appear at London's Old Bailey on Monday.
He was handcuffed to a guard in the dock during the hearing and will be held at Belmarsh Prison.
Mrs Cox's final words were "my pain is too much" as she lay dying in the street.
Further shocking details have emerged of Mrs Cox’s shooting and stabbing as she arrived at her Batley and Spen constituency surgery in West Yorkshire on Thursday.
Witnesses said that Mair yelled, “Keep Britain independent” and “This is for Britain” during his frenzied attack.
And the full bravery of retired miner Bernard Carter-Kenny, 77, has been revealed for the first time.
He was stabbed in the abdomen as he tried to save mum-of-two Mrs Cox from her killer.
The Labour MP was said to have attended a school and a care home before going to Birstall library at around 12.45pm for her surgery.
Mr Kenny had pulled his car up at the same time and his wife got out to go to the library.
As she was doing so, Mr Kenny then saw Mrs Cox get out of her car and be attacked by a man carrying a knife.
A witness said Mr Kenny then tried to help the MP, but was stabbed in the stomach as he tried to intervene and then went into a shop to get help.
He was yesterday recovering from his injuries in hospital in Leeds with his wife Doreen and two sons at his bedside.
At the scene, the attacker carried on stabbing Mrs Cox, causing her to fall to the ground. He was then seen taking a gun from his black bag and shooting her three times.
Witnesses said Mair had shouted, “Britain first, keep Britain independent, Britain always comes first, this is for Britain”.
Mrs Cox was pronounced dead at 1.48pm. A post-mortem recorded that she died from multiple stab and gunshot wounds.
Yesterday it emerged that two unarmed police officers found the suspect in a nearby cul-de-sac.
Witnesses said the cops shouted at him to drop the bag and he then stood still with his arms outstretched. He was heard to say, “It’s me,” as he as the officers approached and handcuffed him.
Mair was also said to have told cops he was a “political activist” after his arrest. He was carrying ammunition, a modified .22 rifle with sawn-off barrel and a knife.
Police later found extremist material at his home.
Mair will spend his first few nights in Belmarsh Prison on suicide watch and under almost constant lockdown during the day.
His cell will be stripped down so nothing can be torn apart to attack himself or others.
He will also be issued with special clothes that cannot be torn into strips to make a noose.
A large group of Muslim prisoners charged and convicted of jihadist terrorist offences are held at the jail. Prison governors will be alert to the risk of Mair being attacked.
Mair will have access to the 18-inmate SSU’s separate exercise yard. Staff have even set up apple trees and a selection of planters so inmates can grow veg.
A source said: “It is a secure yard away from the main body of the prison so the inmates in the high security unit can exercise alone. To all intents and purposes it is a prison within a prison. The trees and the planters have proved a great success in giving those held long-term on the wing a bit of purpose in their life.
“But they are not allowed access to any tools like pruners or shears and are heavily supervised on a more than one-to-one basis.
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“Mair will be assessed for a few days to make sure he is not at risk of doing himself harm.
“The officers will treat him with professionalism and the degree of care that he is entitled to.
“But that does not go for the rest of the prison population and that is why Mair will be kept in the secure unit.”
Mum-of-two Jo, 41, was shot three times and knifed just before 1pm
She was elected to Parliament in May 2015.
Floral tributes have been laid at the scene of her death while hundreds of people attended a candle-lit vigil in Parliament Square, central London.
On Friday afternoon PM David Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited Jo Cox's constituency and called for tolerance as they announced Parliament will be recalled on Monday following her horrific murder.
The PM and the Labour leader said "our nation is in shock" as they made an unprecedented joint statement to call for unity, close to the spot where the mum of two was killed.
Joined by Commons Speaker John Bercow, the pair leader paid their respects to the fallen MP and laid flowers in Birstall, West Yorkshire yesterday.
Mr Corbyn said he had asked the Prime Minister to recall MPs to Parliament on Monday to pay tribute to their 41-year-old colleague, and that this had been agreed.
The House of Commons is currently not sitting due to the EU referendum on June 23.
Mr Cameron said: "Two children have lost their mother and a husband has lost his loving wife.
"Parliament has lost one of its most passionate campaigners and the nation is shocked.
"Today our nation is rightly shocked.
"And I think it is a moment to stand back and think about some of the things that are so important about our country."
US President Barack Obama on Friday phoned Cox's husband Brendan to offer condolences.
"The president noted that the world is a better place because of her selfless service to others, and that there can be no justification for this heinous crime," the White House said in a statement.
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