ENGLISH NEWS: London Bridge hero revealed as convicted murderer on day release

REPORTS are circulating that one of the people who risked their lives to halt the terror attack at London Bridge was a convicted murderer on day release from prison.

James Ford is understood to have tried to save the life of a female victim and helped disarm convicted terrorist Usman Khan, who stabbed a man and a woman to death and injured several others on Friday, November 29.

Ford, now 42 years-old, was jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years in April 2004 for the murder of 21-year-old Amanda Champion who had learning difficulties.

His victim had been found strangled and with her throat cut on wasteland in Ashford, Kent in England on 26 July 2003, three weeks after she had disappeared. Ford’s involvement was only discovered after a Samaritans worker broke their confidentiality code and revealed to police Fords’ admission of guilt in a series of calls. He admitted to the murder whilst on trial but has so far never revealed any motive behind the killing.

The convicted murderer, who is understood to be serving the final days of his sentence at HMP Standford Hill, an open prison in Kent, was at London Bridge as the attack unfolded. He had been attending a Learning Together conference with Course Coordinator Jack Merritt, who has since been named by his father as the man killed in the attack. Terrorist Khan is believed to have also been at the same event.

However, despite Ford’s actions, the family of his victim say that he is no hero. Angela Cox, Ms Champion’s aunt, said she was informed of Ford’s day release by a police liaison officer on Friday. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said that none of her family knew that Ford was on day release. She added that he is not a hero as he murdered a vulnerable and disabled girl.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed by the Metropolitan Police that Khan was released less than 7 years into his 16-year prison sentence for a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange.