Woolwich: Ingrid tells of attacker confrontation

A MOTHER of two who confronted the Woolwich attackers and asked them to hand over their weapons has been praised for her bravery.

Ingrid Loyau-Kennett: Confronted attacker. Picture: Getty

Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, 48, a Cub Scout leader from Cornwall, said: “Being a Cub leader, I have my first aid, so when I saw this guy on the floor I thought it was an accident – then I saw the guy was dead and I could not feel any pulse.

“And then when I went up, there was this black guy with a revolver and a kitchen knife. He had what looked like butcher’s tools and he had a little axe, to cut the bones, and two large knives, and he said, ‘Move off the body’.

“I thought I had better start talking to him before he starts attacking somebody else.

“I asked him if he did it, and he said yes, and I said, ‘Why?’ And he said because he has killed Muslim people in Muslim countries, he said he was a British solider and I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘I killed him because he killed Muslims and I am fed up with people killing Muslims in Afghanistan. They have nothing to do there’.”

Mrs Loyau-Kennett said the attacker seemed to be “in full control of his decisions and ready to do everything he wanted to do”.

She added: “I said, ‘Right now it is only you versus many people. You are going to lose. What would you like to do?’ And he said, ‘I would like to stay and fight’.”

Prime Minister David Cameron praised Mrs Loyau-Kennett as “brave” and added: “When told by the attacker he wanted to start a war in London, she replied, ‘You’re going to lose, it is only you versus many’. She spoke for us all.”

Helping Heroes

Help For Heroes has been swamped with support in the wake of the Woolwich killing, causing its website to crash as users tried to buy T-shirts and wristbands in a show of solidarity.

Lee Rigby was wearing a hooded sweatshirt produced by the charity, which helps those wounded in Britain’s current conflicts, when he was murdered.

Celebrities such as former England cricketer Michael Vaughan, singer Katherine Jenkins and adventurer Ben Fogle were among those urging well-wishers to give money to the charity.

Help For Heroes thanked people for what it said had been an “extraordinary demonstration of support”.

A statement from the charity said: “Help For Heroes was appalled to hear of the brutal murder of a serving soldier in Woolwich.

“We are desperately saddened to hear of this sickening attack and offer our thoughts and prayers

to his colleagues and family.”