David Copeland
| David Copeland | |
|---|---|
Photograph of Copeland taken after his arrest in April 1999
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| Born |
15 May 1976 Isleworth, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | London Nail Bomber |
| Occupation | Engineer's assistant |
| Known for | Planting three bombs in public spaces in London in April 1999, killing three and injuring 140 |
| Criminal charge | Three counts of murder, three counts of planting bombs. |
| Criminal penalty | Six life sentences, minimum term 50 years |
| 1999 London nail bombings | |
|---|---|
X-rays show a nail from one of Copeland's bombs embedded in a baby's brain.
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| Location | Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho areas of London |
| Date | April 17, 1999- April 30, 1999 |
| Target | Black British, British Bengali and Gay populations |
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Attack type
|
White supremacist terrorism, bombings, murder |
| Weapons | Nail bomb |
| Deaths | 3 |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
162 |
| Perpetrators | David Copeland |
| Motive | attempt at starting a race war in England |
David Copeland (born 15 May 1976) is a British Neo-Nazi militant who became known as the "London Nail Bomber" after a 13-day bombing campaign in April 1999 aimed at London's black, South Asian and gay communities that resulted in three people being killed and more than a hundred injured. Copeland was a former member of two far-right political groups, the British National Party and then the National Socialist Movement.
Over three successive weekends between 17 and 30 April 1999, Copeland placed homemade nail bombs, each containing up to 1,500 four-inch nails, in holdalls that he left in public spaces around London. The first bomb was placed outside the Iceland supermarket in Electric Avenue, Brixton, an area of south London with a large black population. The second was in Brick Lane in the East End of London, which has a large Bangladeshi community. The third was inside the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho's Old Compton Street, the heart of London's gay community. The bombs killed three people, including a pregnant woman, and injured 140, four of whom lost limbs.
Copeland was diagnosed by five psychiatrists as having paranoid schizophrenia, while one diagnosed a personality disorder not serious enough to avoid a charge of murder. His plea of guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility was not accepted by the prosecution or jury. He was convicted of murder on 30 June 2000, and given six life sentences. In 2007 the High Court ruled that he must serve at least 50 years. He appealed against the ruling, which the Court of Appeal upheld in 2011.
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