Soho nail bomber gets 50 years

7/3/07

David Copeland, responsible for the 1999 bombing of London gay bar, gets extended stay in prison

Nail bomber David Copeland, responsible for the 1999 bombing of London gay bar Admiral Duncan, has been sentenced to prison for a minimum of 50 years.

High court judge Justice Burton extended the original sentence of 30 years to 50, citing the "exceptional gravity" of the case under new legislation.

Copeland, was originally sentenced in June 2002 for three counts of murder and three for causing explosions in order to endanger lives.

Copeland, a neo-Nazi, had planted a series of bombs throughout London – in Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho – in a space of 13 days which resulted in 139 injuries.

Fatalities of the 1999 Admiral Duncan blast included a pregnant Andrea Dykes, 27, John Light, 32, and Nik Moore, 31.

Judge Burton said the attack was a a "really exceptional case of deliberate, multiple murder".
Burton said Copeland serve longer than his extended sentence if it was "necessary for the protection of the public".

"When the defendant has served the minimum term, and if the parole board decides to direct his release, he will remain on licence for the rest of his life and may be recalled to prison at any time."

At the time of the bombings, Copeland was 22. His plea of manslaughter on the grounds that he was a paranoid schizophrenic was dismissed.

A former British National Party member, Copeland allegedly quit because the right wing group was not militant enough.