Jo Cox case: Jurors told to put emotions aside

The murder of Labour MP Jo Cox touched hundreds, if not thousands of people, but jurors needed to try the accused without emotion, a court has heard.

Thomas Mair, 53, is accused of shooting and stabbing the mother-of-two in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on 16 June, a week before the EU referendum vote.

At his trial, Mr Mair chose not to give any evidence in his defence.

Simon Russell Flint QC, defending, said Mr Mair - who denies murder - had no previous convictions or cautions.

"You and you alone will determine whether Thomas Mair can return to his quiet and solitary existence or will be forever remembered as the man who assassinated Jo Cox," he told the Old Bailey jury.

Mr Mair also denies grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon - a dagger.

On Tuesday, the court heard from 41-year-old Mrs Cox's close friend and colleague Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, who said it had been a dream come true for Mrs Cox - MP for Batley and Spen - to stand for her local area.

In a statement read out in court, he said she would talk about the joy of representing a diverse community.

He described her as an internationalist, who saw the world as being very small.

Her priority was the poor and dispossessed, he said, and she had no interest in party political point scoring.

The last time he saw her was a week before her death at a party on her houseboat, the court heard.

She was incredibly well-liked and popular, and always found time for people, he added.

Jurors also heard that Mr Mair said in his first court appearance "death to traitors - freedom for Britain" when asked his name.

In his closing speech, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said the evidence was compelling that Mr Mair had murdered Mrs Cox outside Birstall library as constituents waited to speak to her.

He said she was most likely shot once in the head with a sawn-off rifle, then stabbed with a dagger.

Despite having the "element of surprise", Mr Mair failed in his first attempt and returned to shoot and stab Mrs Cox once more, the court heard.

Mr Whittam said: "Perhaps he underestimated Jo Cox's tenacity and courage."

Mr Whittam returned to evidence from one of Mrs Cox's aides, Fazila Aswat, who told the trial the man had said "Britain first" as he carried out the attack.

Ms Aswat described cradling Mrs Cox's head in her lap as the MP urged her and another colleague to "get away - let him hurt me, not you".

Mr Whittam told the jury: "The sheer barbarity of her murder and the utter cowardice of her murder bring the two extremities of humanity face to face."

He said the attack had brought out the best in people, including 77-year-old Bernard Kenny who was wounded trying to help Mrs Cox and people in a cake shop who attempted CPR to try to save her.

He submitted that Mr Mair's defence counsel did not have enough substance to dent the prosecution case.

A blood spot from Jo Cox was found on the gun, he said, and the dagger also had DNA associated with Mr Mair and Mrs Cox on it.

Addressing the jury, Mr Whittam said Mr Mair was entitled to "sit back and say nothing" but the weight of the evidence was obvious.

"You have no denial. He has not given evidence to say he is not the murderer," he told them.

Simon Russell Flint QC, in his closing speech for the defence, said Mrs Cox's death had "touched many hundreds, and perhaps thousands of people" and many of her friends, colleagues and family would be "forever scarred".

He said Mr Kenny, a "brave and courageous gentleman" who sought to prevent the attack, would "forever be affected".

But he urged the jury to try Mr Mair without emotion, however "distressing, disturbing and tragic" the case had been.

Mrs Cox's widower Brendan joined his late wife's family in court for the judge's summing-up on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Justice Wilkie said it was the defendant's right not to give evidence and warned the jury not to assume he was guilty.

He said Mr Mair was a man of good character which might mean he was less likely to commit the crime, but it was up to the jury to decide how much weight to give that.

He said it was also their job to decide whether comments of "It's me" and "I'm a political activist" made to two police officers were a confession, as the prosecution had claimed.

The trial continues.