A man has been convicted of attempted murder after trying to run over a Muslim woman and a 12-year-old schoolgirl as “revenge” for the London 7/7 bombings and the Parsons Green Tube station attack.
Paul Moore attempted to kill 47-year-old Zaynab Hussein with his Volkswagen Up vehicle on September 20 last year.
Ms Hussein was struck once in Acer Close in Leicester, and then driven over again moments later as the 21-year-old laughed, a court heard.
He then tried to cause the 12-year-old serious harm by driving the same vehicle at her moments later, with the schoolgirl’s bag being thrown up in the air.
Moore had told his half-brother he was “proud of himself”, and he was “doing the country a favour” after the attacks.
Ms Hussein was left with severe fractures to her pelvis, her spine, and one of the bones in her leg was broken in the collision.
A jury of seven men and five women at Nottingham Crown Court took two hours to convict Moore of attempted murder, attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving.
Moore, of Letchworth Road, Western Park, Leicester, looked straight ahead and showed no emotion as the guilty verdicts were announced.
In a statement released after the verdict was announced, Barre Duale, the husband of Ms Hussein, said Moore had launched an attack on Britain.
He said: “Paul Moore said he attacked… for Britain and that he was proud of it.
“He was actually attacking Britain, he was attacking a British mother, a British wife, a productive British worker and charity volunteer.
“He wasn’t attacking terrorists, he was joining their ranks by doing what they do and attacking an innocent woman.
“I hope that he thinks long and hard about his actions and is able to understand the error of his ways.”
He added: “Our family has been heartbroken by the attack, whatever sentence Paul Moore receives will be less than the life sentence that my wife will have to live with.”
Dr Shazad Amin, CEO of Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend), said: “Mend have been supporting the family since this horrific incident happened and we would like to thank the community and the police for all their hard work in bringing this case to court.”
Mr Justice Soole remanded him into custody and adjourned sentence until a date yet to be confirmed.