Westminster attack inquests - as they happened: Widow of officer killed by terrorist says police 'left him to die' unarmed on Parliament gates
Coroner to draw up 'prevention of future deaths' report with recommendations for police
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“Shortcomings in security” outside the Houses of Parliament contributed to the death of a police officer during the Westminster attack, a coroner has concluded.
Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the Chief Coroner of England and Wales, said the Metropolitan Police had allowed the entrance PC Keith Palmer was guarding to be neglected by “roving” armed officers.
PC Palmer's widow said he was "left to die", adding: "How could Keith have been left alone, unarmed, guarding an open gate at one of the most iconic buildings in the world and one of the country’s top terrorist targets?”
Judge Lucraft is to draw up a “prevention of future deaths report” that will contain recommendations for the Metropolitan Police and parliamentary security officials.
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Masood, 52, drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22 last year, killing American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31.
Their relatives expressed hope that "lessons had been learned" from the gruelling three-week inquests.
Delivering his conclusions at the Old Bailey, Judge Lucraft said the two armed officers assigned to the area had not been near Carriage Gates for almost an hour before Khalid Masood struck because they were unaware of official guidance.
“They had been some distance away and out of view of the entrance because they had understood their duty to involve a roving patrol around the yard,” Judge Lucraft said.
“Due to shortcomings in the security system at New Palace Yard, including the supervision of those engaged in such duties, the armed officers were not aware of a requirement to remain in close proximity to the gates.
“Had they been stationed there, it is possible that they may have been able to prevent PC Palmer suffering fatal injuries.”
PC Palmer's widow said her husband had been “left to die” by security failings and accused authorities of letting “lax security” continue at the Houses of Parliament for years.
In his closing argument, Gareth Patterson QC, for families of victims on the bridge, urged the coroner to make a report on the circumstances of the case to “protect the public”.
On the role of MI5, whose knowledge of Masood has been heavily scrutinised, he said: “We do think there is room for improvement in terms of decision-making.”
He suggested security services should look again at when to investigate suspects and when to stop, and to take account of violent backgrounds.
Mr Patterson also called for the Government to “try again” with tightening rules for hiring cars.
Dominic Adamson, representing PC Palmer's widow Michelle, said that there was “a systematic failure” in protecting unarmed officers on guard at the Palace of Westminster.
He and the paramedic were initially told that the air ambulance was on its way, but they were diverted to the Houses of Parliament, where PC Keith Palmer had been stabbed and Khalid Masood shot.
Mr Rhodes' injury was "not surviveable", a doctor found.
"In effect the damage had been done at the time of the event and surgery would be of no value."
Mr Rhodes became "increasingly unstable" in intensive care and died the following day.
Judge Lucraft said medics had done "all they humanly could" to save Mr Rhodes and nothing more could have been done to help him given the severity of his injuries.
Judge Lucraft says a Home Office pathologist that Mr Rhodes "would not have survived" if he had been transported to hospital more quickly.
Judge Lucraft is now addressing the death of Aysha Frade, a mother-of-two who was walking across Westminster Bridge on the way to collect her children from school.
She was thrown 17m from where she was struck and into the path of a bus, which ran over her body with its rear wheel causing "instantaneous" death.
Ms Frade was on her phone in the moment she was struck and hit behind, and did not appear to have noticed the car.
Ms Frade's husband and sister are in the court listening to the conclusions.
A witness described the Hyundai as accelerating before the crash and saw Ms Frade being hit. He called the emergency services and "wanted to help Aysha but realised it was too late".
A motorcycle paramedic sent to the scene said he was first alerted to an "RTC with multiple casualties".
He found all other casualties being attended to and asked the groups around them if they were conscious and breathing. He identified Mr Rhodes as a "priority 1" before finding Ms Frade.
The paramedic saw that Mrs Frade had suffered catastrophic injuries and he could "do nothing to help her".
He described trying to communicate with Korean tourists on the bridge, who were looking into the river and could not speak English.
He then found a French teenager, another French casualty and an Italian woman with injuries and started treating them, before making a report to the control room on what he believed was a terror attack and major incident.
At 14.48 a blanket was placed over Mrs Frade's body, after a paramedic told police she had died.