Woolwich suspect Michael Adebowale appears, in handcuffs and bandaged, before court

- Michael Adebowale, 22, nodded to confirm name, address, and date of birth- He was charged  last night following advice from the CPS- Michael Adebolajo, 28, remains in hospital
1/3
31 May 2013
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

One of the two terror suspects charged with murdering soldier Lee Rigby today faced a court in handcuffs.

Michael Adebowale, 22, stood in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court with a bandaged hand and flanked by police officers.

Chief Magistrates Howard Riddle agreed to the “rare” request from prosecutor Bethan David for Adebowale to appear in handcuffs. Abbas Lakha QC, defending, did not object.

Adebowale was followed into the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court by two plain clothes police officers and two dock officers.

Dressed in a grey sweatshirt and white trousers he glared at the District Judge throughout the hearing.

The only sign of his injuries from being shot by police marksmen was the way he held his right hand over his stomach.

Adebowale is charged with murder, possessing a 9.44 millimetre KNIL model 91 revolver with intent to cause onlookers to fear violence.

No pleas were entered and he was committed to stand trial at the Old Bailey where he will make a bail application on Monday before a pretrial hearing on June 28.

Adebowale had been shot after Drummer Rigby was hacked to death last week in Woolwich.

After six days’ treatment he was released from hospital and immediately arrested.

Second suspect Michael Adebolajo, 28, is still in hospital and believed to be far more seriously injured.

When Adebowale was brought into court he confirmed his name and address.

Having been remanded in custody he nodded that he understood and shuffled out of court.

Around 30 police officers surrounded the courthouse and nearby streets from 8.30am and remained in position throughout the morning.

The sirens and blue flashing lights of the police escort announced Adebowale’s arrival at the back entrance just after 9.30am.

Officers had to direct waiting vehicles through red lights at the junction of Seymour Place and Marylebone Road to clear the street for their colleagues.

Several police cars then sped up the road, flanking a blue van carrying the suspect, and blocked it at both ends.

Despite the backlash from right-wing extremists in the aftermath of the killing last week, there were no protests outside court.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in