Thomas Mair handed a whole life term for murdering MP Jo Cox
An Old Bailey jury took just over 90 minutes to convict the 53-year-old, who was brought up in Kilmarnock, of murdering the 41-year-old mother-of-two.
Neo-Nazi Thomas Mair, who gunned down Jo Cox while shouting Britain first'', has been jailed for the rest of his life for a murder the Labour MP's husband has described as an act of terrorism.
An Old Bailey jury took just over 90 minutes to convict the 53-year-old, who was brought up in Kilmarnock, of murdering the 41-year-old mother-of-two and Remain campaigner as she arrived for a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, a week before the EU referendum.
The white supremacist, who gave no evidence in his defence, shouted Britain first'' as he fired three shots at his MP and stabbed her 15 times.
He gave no reaction and looked straight ahead as he was convicted on all counts and then given a whole life term.
After the conviction, Mrs Cox's widower, Brendan, told the court: We are not here to plead for retribution.
We feel nothing but pity for him that his life was so devoid of love and filled with hatred, his only way of finding meaning was to attack a woman who represented all that was good about the country in an act of supreme cowardice.''
Her murder was a political act, and an act of terrorism, driven by hatred that has instead led to an outpouring of love'', he said.
The MP's family sat in silence in the packed courtroom as the verdicts were delivered.
The trial judge refused Mair's request to make a statement in court
Mr Justice Wilkie told Mair that Mrs Cox was the true patriot'' and not him.
Mair's murderous attack on the MP was brutal and ruthless'', the judge said.
Passer-by Bernard Kenny, 78, who was stabbed as he tried to halt the onslaught by jumping on Mair's shoulders from behind, described Mair's actions as a pure act of evil''.
He said in a statement that he would do the same thing again as it was the right thing to do'', even though his actions were not enough to save Mrs Cox.
Jeremy Corbyn said the murder of the Labour MP Jo Cox was an attack on democracy, and has robbed the world of an ambassador of kindness and compassion''.
The Labour Party leader was reacting after an Old Bailey jury unanimously convicted Thomas Mair, 53, of the murder of the mother of two and Remain campaigner as she arrived for a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, a week before the EU referendum.
Following her murder, Mr Corbyn said that, with her death, British society had lost one of our very best''.
Speaking after the guilty verdicts were announced, Mr Corbyn said: Jo Cox believed passionately that all people can achieve their full potential given the opportunity. Her murder was an attack on democracy, and has robbed the world of an ambassador of kindness and compassion.
Jo's values were lived out in her last moments, when she bravely put the safety of her staff before her own. Jo is someone the Labour Party will forever be extremely proud of. The single biggest tribute we can pay to Jo and her life will be to confront those who wish to promote the hatred and division that led to her murder.
Jo was a loving mother and wife. I hope that the verdict has delivered some sense of justice to those grieving, particularly Jo's family, who all of our thoughts are with at this time.''
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 eyewitnesses, 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.''
Jo Cox's grieving husband has said the sheer cowardice and hatred'' of her murderer Thomas Mair does not representanything in our country''.
Brendan Cox said there was a contrast between the bravery of Jo'' andthe cowardice of a man who attacks a 5ft woman'' and then is too scared to take to the dock''.
In a pre-recorded interview released after Mair was found guilty of killing the 41-year-old MP, Mr Cox also said he would tell his children that their mother fought for her values and her beliefs and that she died for them''.
He said: I think for me there is a contrast there between the bravery of Jo - what she stood for, what she fought for, and in her final moments asking her friends who were trying to help her to get away so that they wouldn't get hurt - with the cowardice of a man who attacks a 5ft tall woman with a gun and a knife, and then is too scared to take the dock and to account for his actions in court.
So for me it's that contrast between the bravery and some of the best of us, with the sheer cowardice and hatred that I don't think represents anything in our country.''
Asked what he would tell their two children about their mother, he told the BBC: I will tell them that she was an amazing woman who was very widely loved and respected, that she fought for her values and her beliefs and that she died for them.
That she loved them, first and foremost, and that she was funny and fun and adventurous.''The sister of Jo Cox has praised themany acts of bravery'' on the day of her murder as she vowed to continue the Labour MP's legacy.
Kim Leadbeater said Mrs Cox's killer Thomas Mair, 53, had committed an act of extreme cowardice'' and the 41-year-old MP's death had had aripple effect''.
Speaking outside the Old Bailey after Mair was given a whole life sentence, Ms Leadbeater thanked those who witnessed the attack on June 16 for their actions and for coming forward.
Passer-by Bernard Kenny, 78, was stabbed as he tried to halt the onslaught by jumping on Mair's shoulders from behind, while Mrs Cox's colleague Fazila Aswat and constituency caseworker Sandra Major tried to intervene.
Ms Leadbeater said: Jo would have been extremely impressed although not at all surprised by the courage of her staff and constituents during this process and indeed on June 16.
There may have been one act of extreme cowardice on that day but there were many acts of bravery, particularly from Fazila and Sandra and Bernard Kenny. We think about them often.''
Before he murdered Jo Cox, Thomas Mair was a 53-year-old loner who never spoke about politics in public.
But the jobbing gardener's dedication to far-right extremism became apparent as he launched his cold-blooded attack on the Labour MP in the street, shouting phrases such as put Britain first''.
On his arrest, he told police officers he was a political activist'' and when he first appeared before magistrates in London, he respondeddeath to traitors, freedom for Britain'' when he was asked his name.
When police raided unmarried Mair's housing association home, they found extreme memorabilia and books and it soon emerged he had links with international far right groups dating back to the 1990s.
But people living on the Fieldhead Estate, which is less than a mile from where Mrs Cox was attacked, described him as the epitome of the quiet loner who never spoke about politics and spent much of his time helping with neighbours' gardens.
Mair had lived in the unremarkable semi for more than 40 years - he had been on his own for the past 20 years following the death of his grandmother.
He was born near Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, but is thought to have moved to Birstall as a boy with his grandparents and his brother, Scott.
One neighbour, Diana Peters, said teetotal Mair, who had teaching qualifications and a 2011 student card for Kirklees College, told her he was teaching English as a second language to the Asian community in Dewsbury and that she had seen no signs of racism.
Mrs Peters said: He did gardening for neighbours. You couldn't ask for a more pleasant neighbour.
I never ever saw him lose his temper. He never had a visitor that I'm aware of, doesn't have friends; nobody ever comes to the house.''
She said he suffered from epilepsy as a child and had never had a standard job.
Katie Green, who had been Mair's neighbour for 13 years, described him as very quiet, very shy''.
She told his trial that Mair, who she always saw carrying shopping bags, spent a lot of time in his garden, which he always kept very tidy.
But a different side to Mair emerged on June 16.
Witnesses to the murder painted a picture of a cold and remorseless killer, who ate a chocolate bar in the moments before the attack and walked away afterwards with not a care in the world''.
Police who later raided his house uncovered evidence of his far-right extremism.
A gold Third Reich eagle ornament with a Swastika emblazoned on it, a large collection of far-right books and magazines, a press cutting on Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik, information about far right groups, Nazi badges and a Deutschland'' cap were all found in his home.
There was also a dossier on Mrs Cox and her political history.
Searches on computers seized from libraries in Birstall and Batley showed Mair had used them to look for more far-right material, information on Mrs Cox and .22 rifles.
A US civil rights group, the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), based in Alabama, claimed it had obtained records showing a Thomas Mair had links with the neo-Nazi organisation National Alliance (NA) dating back to 1999.
It posted images showing what it claimed were orders by Mair for just over 620 US dollars for publications including the Improvised Munitions Handbook, which had detailed instructions for constructing a Pipe Pistol For .38 Caliber Ammunition''.
Mair was also named in 2006 by the hard-right Springbok Club, an organisation which has called for a return to apartheid-style government in South Africa, as one of the earliest subscribers and supporters of 'SA Patriot'''.
Mair's half-brother, Duane St Louis, whose father is from Grenada, told reporters that his own mixed race had never been a problem.
But the trial heard that Mair made an internet search for matricide, searching for son kills mother for miscegenation'' - the mix of different racial groups through marriage, cohabiting, sexual relations and procreation.
Reports of Mair's mental health problems emerged in the days following the murder.
His brother, Scott, told reporters Mair had a history of mental illness, but he has had help'' and said he had never been political.
Mr St Louis said Mair suffered from OCD, scrubbing himself obsessively with Brillo pads.
Mair himself spoke to the Huddersfield Examiner in 2010 about volunteering at the Oakwell Hall country park in Birstall, after being a patient at a day centre for adults with mental illness.
But he did not use his mental health as a defence and gave no evidence at all during the murder trial.