Michael Wolkind QC rose to begin the case for the defence. He described Copeland to the jury as a paranoid schizophrenic who had conducted his hate campaign against minorities. He told the court that Copeland would not be called to give evidence, instead appealing to the jury to judge him "dispassionately" on the evidence.

The eight men and four women of the jury were told that the first defence witness would be consultant psychiatrist Dr Paul Gilluley, who would say that Copeland suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

Opening his defence case, Mr Wolkind said rows of victims had sat in the back of court during Copeland's trial "and not a single one need ever forgive him for what he has done. David Copeland has hurt - if not ruined the life of each. It is traditional to tell jurors to set aside emotion."

Mr Wolkind said Copeland was running a hate campaign against minority groups: "He told police in military language he had allowed for casualties. He had sought to cause murder, mayhem and chaos. "Now I have to ask you to consider what each of you owe him," Mr Wolkind told the jury.

"How you must be straining to deliver him justice. On the streets of Brixton, Brick Lane and round Soho, ordinary people probably have a great idea of the justice he deserves and the penalty he should receive.

"But you are no longer ordinary people chosen by chance to be judges in a notorious case. You are chosen to dispassionately judge the evidence."

Copeland had denied he was ill.

"It is the common behaviour of a schizophrenic to deny they are ill," said Mr Wolkind. He said five doctors being called by the defence would say Copeland was a schizophrenic. They, with a sixth doctor being called for the prosecution, all agreed he had an abnormality of the mind.

He had told a doctor he would be rescued by God during the trial, that he was a messenger who would be rewarded in the afterlife and who had a persecution complex about his parents.

Copeland had tried to fool doctors into sending him backing to prison - rather than remaining in Broadmoor - by pretending he was not ill.

Dr Gilluley said Copeland had insisted he considered himself a heterosexual.

But when he was 13 his parents became "funny" towards him, inferring he was a homosexual. He said he was "extremely angry" with his parents for making him see a doctor because they were worried about his slow growth. The doctor had examined his genitals.

Dr Gilluley thought Copeland's personality began to change when he was 19 and isolated himself from his family and friends.

He said: "He told us he began to realise he had a mission. He said that during this time all he wanted to do was to kill people.

"He said he considered using a gun but said he could not do this because he would be arrested and it would prevent him from carrying out his destiny to plant a bomb."

Later, the jury was treated to conflicting psychiatric evidence to Copeland's state of mind. The court heard how Copeland dreamed about the day he would appear in court, a prosecution doctor told the Old Bailey.

"There was no suggestion of any concern or stress. He was exceptionally calm. He seemed very positive about going to court," said police surgeon Dr Peter Dean. During one of four interviews Copeland told him: "I planned this. I have been dreaming about it for ages - doing what I did, getting caught, going to court - it is my destiny."

Dr Dean said he had found no suggestion whatsoever of any delusions or hallucinations or thought disorder when he examined Copeland. "He put it down to stress," Dr Dean told the court, "and just having a shit life."

He also blamed his parents for taunting him about his suspected homosexuality. Copeland told doctors that his parents would often sing the theme tune to 'The Flintstones', emphasising the line, 'We'll have a gay old time.'

As the trial entered its third week, it was revealed how the nail-bomber fell in love with a woman who wrote to him in prison after his arrest. But "Patricia Scanlon" was really a male journalist who fooled Copeland into corresponding with him about his trial.

Copeland told "Patsy" he had fallen in love with her and offered to send her a clock for Christmas to "remind" her of him, adding, "tick tock." In another letter, he said: "I cannot believe I have fooled all the doctors."

Defence psychiatrist, Dr Ian Cummings, said that when Copeland carried out his bombing campaign, he falsely believed he would create a race war and would be rewarded.

"He believed God had chosen him and an Armageddon might result," stated Dr Cummings. He informed the court that Copeland had started taking medication
early this year "and there had been a
small improvement."

On the morning of Wednesday, June 25th, Nigel Sweeney began summing up for the prosecution. He told the jury that the Crown had proved that Copeland had intended to kill people during his bombing campaign: "It is a clear case of murder," said Mr Sweeney. "He was not suffering from mental illness during the bombings. He made a choice, took that choice, and he should now pay for his choice."

Dismissing the defence's claim of diminished responsibility, Mr Sweeney said that Copeland had changed his story several times, with "no references to delusions or hearing voices until much later."

He called on the jury to return a guilty verdict for the three murders.

In the afternoon, as the sun shone through the skylight of Court Number One, Michael Wolkind summed up the defence case. He recounted the evidence given by the five defence psychiatrists, concluding that Copeland was "a paranoid schizophrenic" who could not be held to account for the consequences of his actions.

Before concluding, Mr Wolkind lambasted the psychiatric evidence presented by the prosecution, in particular singling out Dr Joseph, whose
testimony he contended was "neither
reliable or fair."

Summing up on Thursday morning, The Recorder of London, Judge Michael Hyam asked the jury to consider if Copeland is guilty of murdering Andrea Dykes, 27, Nicholas Moore, 31, and John Light, 32, in the Soho blast last year.

The defence had argued that Copeland was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the bombings.

But prosecution psychiatrist Dr Philip Joseph had earlier told the court he believed Copeland was suffering from a personality disorder, which did not impair his responsibility.

In his summing up, the Recorder of London, Judge Michael Hyam, told the jury they had one issue to decide - "whether the defendant was suffering from diminished responsibility at the time of his attacks."

He asked the jury to decide if the defence had proved that David Copeland's "responsibility for his acts was substantially diminished by reason of an abnormality of mind".

The jury retired to deliberate on the murder charges at 3.20pm. An hour and ten minutes later the jury had still not come to a decision, and they were sent under escort to a hotel where they were to spend the night.

A little over twenty-four hours later, at 3.23pm on Friday, 30th June, proceedings reconvened in Court Number One when the jury had indicated they had concluded their deliberations.

The silence was deafening as the jury filed into their benches on the left-hand side of the courtroom. The court was packed to capacity with victims and press hacks alike all vying for the 'best seats' from which to witness this long-awaited moment.

As the clerk read aloud the three charges of murder against Copeland to the jury the foreman replied "Guilty" to all three counts on the indictment.

As the verdicts sunk in, huge cheers rang out from victims seated at the back of the court, followed by shouts of "Murdering bastard!" and "Nazi scum" reining down on Copeland from the public gallery above.

Addressing Copeland, who stood in the dock maintaining a scowl of contempt, Judge Michael Hyam told him: "Anyone who has heard the facts of this case will be appalled and horrified" at the atrocities he had committed. He said: "You were motivated by virulent hatred and pitiless contempt.

set out to kill, maim and cause terror and you have left three families bereaved. They are constantly reminded that you alone are responsible.

"Nothing can excuse or justify the evil and the abhorrent views you express."

Sentencing Copeland to a total of six life sentences, Judge Hyam told him: "The public must be protected from you and it must be assured that you are not released for a very long time."

As the jury were discharged, a spontaneous and dignified round of applause broke out from the rear of the court, at first quietly, quickly spreading audibly to the public gallery as Copeland's twelve peers were led from the Courtroom. The atmosphere of the court had been transformed in those few seconds from a sombre, silent occasion to that of a soccer stadium after the home team has scored a match-winning goal.

Copeland was led down to the cells from where he later returned to Broadmoor's top security hospital to continue his treatment.

Outside the court, Chris Walker, London area manager of Scottish & Newcastle brewers, owners of the Admiral Duncan, said: "We are pleased with the outcome of the trial. I believe the jury made the right decision and I am relieved the ordeal of the court proceedings are over.

"The trial is over but those who were caught up in this terrible tragedy will continue to live with the memory of what happened on April 30th. My thoughts, as ever, are with the families of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy and with all those who have suffered as a result of this horrific bombing.

"I would like to add my sincere thanks to everyone who has offered their support and encouragement to Mark and his staff over the last fourteen months. It has been overwhelming at times, but it has meant a great deal to all of them."

Earlier the father of nail-bomber David Copeland condemned the murder of the three people who died and the other 129 who were injured in the three blasts.

From behind the closed doors of his home in the leafy village of Yately, Hants, Stephen Copeland, 50, told Michael Murphy he would wash his hands of his son if he was found guilty of the three murders. The tearful dad-of-three, a heating engineer, refused to come to the door of the £200,000 family home, saying he had been told he "could be in danger".

But speaking through an intercom system, he said: "Myself and my family totally condemn the cowardly and barbaric bombings carried out in London. Our heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to the families of the bereaved and those injured, who are grieving at this time.

"If David is guilty of these awful acts of violence, then we totally condemn him for carrying them out.

"As you can imagine, we are all completely devastated by these events. We cannot begin to imagine how terrible the families of the killed and injured must be feeling today.

"We are all mystified to learn that David could be responsible for all these bloody bombings. We wish to be left in peace at this time. I have nothing else to say at the moment."

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