SECONDS FROM DEATH
THIS is the chilling moment an American tourist couple were seen laughing on Westminster Bridge seconds before terrorist Khalid Masood swerved his car off the road and drove at them.
Kurt Cochran’s final act of love was pushing his wife Melissa out of the way when Masood went on a deadly rampage, killing him and four others on March 22 last year.
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The 54-year-old died at the scene.
Moments later hero cop Keith Palmer gave the "ultimate sacrifice" to "protect strangers" during the Westminster terror attack, an inquest heard today.
Four members of the public - including Cochran - died before PC Palmer when Masood drove onto the pavement in the shadow of Big Ben in March last year.
Masood, 52, drove into pedestrians in a rented Hyundai Tucson on Westminster Bridge, killing American tourist Cochran, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31.
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He then stabbed PC Palmer who was on guard at the Palace of Westminster, before being shot dead by plain-clothed armed officers. It's thought he acted alone.
PC Palmer's sister Angela told the inquest: "Keith died protecting strangers whilst doing his job and he will be remembered by many for his courage and bravery."
Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer paid tribute to PC Palmer's "ultimate sacrifice".
He said: "His brave actions that day did not surprise me. Keith never backed away from a job protecting people."
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The inquest heard PC Palmer, who was unarmed and wearing body armour, died from a stab wound that passed into the left side of his chest.
In his opening remarks, Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft QC told the Old Bailey: "The lives of many were torn apart by 82 seconds of high and terrible drama."
He then asked the court to observe a minute's silence for those who died.
The inquest began with a "pen portrait" of the victims, read out by a family member of the victim, or a lawyer.
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Members of the victims' families embraced one another inside the court before the inquest started. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick was also present as the inquests began.
Detective Superintendent John Crossley, the first witness, then went through how each of the victims were killed by Masood.
Masood's hire car was going an average of 31mph as it mounted the pavement at 2.40pm and within 30 seconds hit the four civilian victims, before crashing into railings at the perimeter gates of the Palace of Westminster.
The court was shown chilling CCTV footage of Masood mowing down the victims as they walked over Westminster Bridge.
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Cochran acted with "instinctive courage" when he pushed his wife out of the path of the hired car driven by the terrorist, the court heard.
He was thrown into the air and was fatally injured, dying at the scene.
Rhodes was dragged 33 metres under the car, and was taken to Kings College Hospital but never regained consciousness. He died the next day from head injuries.
Frade was hit by the car from behind and thrown into a bus lane, where she was run over by a bus and died from a "catastrophic" head injury.
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Cristea was thrown off Westminster Bridge, falling 12.5 metres into the Thames. She was in the water for nearly nine minutes before she was recovered.
She was given "intensive and complex" treatment at the Royal London and St Bartholomew's hospitals but never regained consciousness and died on April 6 when her life support was switched off.
Her cause of death was multiple organ failure, head injuries and immersion.
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After mowing down the pedestrians, Masood got out of his car and became involved in a violent struggle with PC Palmer, who stumbled and fell backwards.
PC Palmer was stabbed, but managed to escape when Masood was distracted by two other officers.
He ran a short distance but collapsed, and despite receiving first aid from the public, the police and treatment from paramedic and air ambulance crews, died at the scene.
Masood was then challenged by an armed close protection officer, who shot him three times when he failed to drop the two knives in his hands.
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Disturbing video footage of the officer being stabbed as he lay prone against a low wall after stumbling backward was shown to the Old Bailey.
Questions have been raised over why no armed officers were near the scene at the Carriage Gates. Instead, firearms officers were on mobile patrol.
Mr Crossley said eight officers working six days a week took four months to watch all of the CCTV footage recovered, a total of 6,000 hours, just 10 hours of which was "usable".
Some 12 people were arrested during the investigation, all of whom were released without charge.
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He said: "From every enquiry we have done, we have not identified any other person involved in this and it's my belief Masood acted alone."
The inquest is expected to last up to five weeks.
The coroner is expected to examine Masood's background, police records, and look into the fact that he briefly featured in MI5 investigations in 2009 and 2010.
He will also look at why the protection of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge was not increased after the fatal vehicle attacks in Nice and Berlin in 2016, and how well PC Keith Palmer was protected - by his body armour and by armed officers serving in Westminster.
A psychologist has also been asked to prepare a “psychological autopsy” of Masood.
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A pre-inquest hearing was told in January that Masood, who was born Adrian Elms, had taken drugs in the hours or days before the attack and was pumped up on anabolic steroids at the time.
He sent a jihadist document on Whatsapp minutes before the attack, the hearing was also told.
A separate inquest into the death of Masood will take place shortly after.
MUM-OF-TWO HAD 'A SMILE LIKE THE SUN'
Mum-of-two Aysha Frade was killed in the terror attack as she walked from work on her way to pick up her children.
Her husband John told the inquest into her death how the couple met at the gym in 1996, and described how he was immediately struck by her smile that was like the sun "popping out from behind a cloud".
He said Aysha was "relaxed, fun to be around, laughing and smiling", and greatly valued her family and close friends.
She loved her job as a PA at a school and was a devoted mother to her two daughters.
Mr Frade said the couple had plans for a big white wedding in 2006, but the idea was shelved when she became pregnant with their first daughter in 2005.
Keen to be married before she gave birth, the couple "grabbed two strangers from the street" to be witnesses and were married in a 10-minute ceremony.
The inquest heard Mrs Frade "lived and breathed for her daughters", and her husband was in awe of the balance she struck "between tender care and discipline".
He told the court that she was a loving daughter to her aging mother who she visited every day.
Mr Frade went on: "The truth is that she still doesn't feel like she's gone, her love surrounds us, her aura lights up the paths of life's journey."
He said his wife had been "cruelly and brutally ripped away from us".
Her sister Michelle also read an emotionally-charged statement to the hearing.
She said: "People cannot understand how this despicable act of futile atrocity has impacted on not only her families' lives but also herself.
"She will never be able to smile again, see her daughters grow up."
Mrs Grade had said she was worried about the risk of a terror attack when her job relocated near Westminster.
Her sister went on: "Aysha and all the other victims of this tragedy are people and not just statistics or a name that will be forgotten once this inquest is over."
ROMANIAN TOURIST SAID 2017 'WILL BE THE BEST OF MY LIFE'
All of Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea's "dreams were shattered" when she was caught up in the Westminster terror attack, the inquest heard.
The 31-year-old died from her injuries after she was thrown into the Thames as she walked across Westminster Bridge with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz.
Her family, some of whom followed proceedings from the British Embassy in Bucharest, paid tribute to Ms Cristea on what would have been her 33rd birthday in an audio recording played in court.
She was described as a "lovely, enchanting and life-loving" woman, who had a thriving interior design business.
The statement from her family included a note from Ms Cristea, which was written on her final New Year's Eve in which she told of her hopes for the coming year.
"The year 2017 will be the best of my life," she wrote.
She hoped she would be "happy, cheerful and jovial", have a successful business and buy a new house, which she planned on decorating.
"I will have a wonderful man by my side, who will love and cherish me and with this man I will start a wonderful family," the note said.
Her family said they had been "hoping for a miracle" when she was in hospital following the attack and told of their "heartbreakingly sad" loss when she died two weeks later.
"All her dreams were shattered when she went on her final trip to England, London, and she suddenly became the victim of the Westminster terror attacks," their statement said.
"It is awful and heartbreakingly painful. The pain we felt and feel now cannot be expressed in words."
US TOURIST KILLED IN WESTMINSTER ATTACK WAS MY ROCK STAR AND HERO, SAYS WIDOW
The widow of American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, has paid tribute to her "hero", who died saving her life.
Mr Cochran and his wife Melissa were walking across Westminster Bridge when they were both hit by the rented car being driven by Khalid Masood, 52.
At an inquest into his death, Mr Cochran was described as a "rock star" and "hero" by those who knew him as pictures of him were displayed on two big screens.
He left behind a "legacy of love and compassion" and spread joy to everyone he met, the Old Bailey heard.
Mrs Cochran was too upset to pay tribute to her late husband in person.
Her sister Angela Stoll read out a statement on her behalf on what would have been the day after Mr Cochran's 56th birthday.
"He was my best friend, my husband and my everything," she said.
"I was so lucky to have had 25 wonderful years with the man of my dreams. He made me laugh every single day. I cherish every single memory we made.
"I am forever grateful for the time we had together, allowing me to be the mother to his children and especially his heroic actions on that day, saving my life."
She described her husband as "my inspiration, my rock star, and most of all my hero", adding: "We wish everyone had Kurt's love and compassion for others.
"No words will bring Kurt back or anyone else who has died senselessly in such cowardly attacks on humanity."
Ms Stoll told how Mr Cochran grew up in the Sixties and Seventies when he developed "a profound love for all music" and played the guitar from a young age, wanting to be a rock star.
He never fulfilled his dream, but nurtured musical talent through his recording studio, she said, and the family held a concert instead of a traditional funeral following his death.
FAMILY'S TRIBUTE TO 'QUIET AND KIND' PENSIONER
A retired window cleaner caught up in the Westminster terror attack was "placid, quiet and kind", his inquest heard.
Pensioner Leslie Rhodes, 75, was on his way back from an appointment at nearby St Thomas's hospital when he was killed.
His niece Amanda Rhodes told how the family were "devastated" and "incredibly angry" on hearing of his death.
She told how Mr Rhodes was born in Battersea, south-west London, as the youngest of three children.
"Everyone loved him. He would do anything to help anyone who needed it," she said.
He loved his job as a window cleaner and would stop and enjoy tea with his customers before his retirement.
Ms Rhodes said he had a very private life and, despite his advancing age, continued to climb ladders and ride his bicycle.
He enjoyed cricket, growing tomatoes and listening to music.
His favourite Queen song - These Are The Days Of Our Lives - was played at his funeral, the hearing was told.
In a statement read out at the Old Bailey, she said: "Les will be greatly missed by all his family and friends who loved him.
"May he rest in eternal peace."
HERO COP MADE 'ULTIMATE SACRIFICE'
Popular family man Pc Keith Palmer has been hailed for making the "ultimate sacrifice" during the terror attack.
Family, friends and colleagues of the 48-year-old uniformed officer paid tribute at the Old Bailey inquest into the victims' deaths.
Pc Palmer was unarmed and wearing body armour when he was fatally stabbed by Khalid Masood in the forecourt of the Palace of Westminster on March 22 last year.
His sister Angela told of Pc Palmer's career from paperboy to police officer.
She said he joined the force because he wanted to "make a difference".
He would help his friends and families with household jobs like mowing grass or building walls and loved family gatherings, she said.
She said the best day of his life was when his daughter was born and he went on to become a "proficient nappy changer" as he took to fatherhood.
Pc Palmer took up his job at the Palace of Westminster for a new experience and loved his new role.
His sister said: "He was always brave and took his role as a police officer seriously. He treated everyone with respect."
"Keith died protecting strangers whilst doing his job and he will be remembered by many for his courage and bravery."
She said the family was "completely devastated" and would also remember him as a caring and loving father, husband, son, uncle and friend.
Pc Shaun Cartwright described him as a happy, honest and genuine family man who worked to provide for his wife and daughter.
As the "face of British policing", he was also popular with tourists who flocked to the Palace of Westminster, Pc Nick Carlisle said.
Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer paid tribute to Pc Palmer's "ultimate sacrifice".
He said: "His brave actions that day did not surprise me. Keith never backed away from a job protecting people."
While many would remember him for his "brave actions" and "ultimate sacrifice", Mr Sawyer said: "To me and others he was our dear friend."
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