London Bridge attack: Hero nurse stabbed to death as she tried to help another victim, inquest hears
Boyfriend tells court he is 'still in awe of her bravery'
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Your support makes all the difference.An Australian nurse was stabbed to death by terrorists after she ran to help another victim of the London Bridge attack, an inquest has heard.
Relatives of 28-year-old Kirsty Boden said they were "in awe of her bravery" in the June 2017 atrocity, when she was one of eight people killed.
The Old Bailey heard she was inside a restaurant with friends when she heard what she believed to be an accidental car crash, and went to investigate.
But Ms Boden was unwittingly walking into the path of three Isis-inspired terrorists, who had mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge before crashing their van and launching a knife rampage.
The court was shown CCTV of Ms Boden motioning to her friends to stay back before seeing victim Alexandre Pigeard bleeding on the ground.
The nurse bent down to help when she was subjected to a sustained attack, running into an alleyway before collapsing and dying of her injuries.
Her British partner, James Hodder, told the court: "Her actions on that night didn't surprise anyone who knew her. To Kirsty it would not have seemed brave.
“She loved people and loved her life helping others. To Kirsty, her actions that night would have been an extension of how she lived her life. We are so unspeakably proud of her.”
At the time she was stabbed to death, Ms Boden was working as a senior staff nurse at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in central London.
Her father, Ken Boden, said: "We miss Kirsty every second of the day. There is a hole in our hearts that will never heal."
The other victims killed were Christine Archibald, 30, Xavier Thomas, 45, Mr Pigeard, 26, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39.
A total of 48 other people were seriously injured in what chief coroner Mark Lucraft called 10 minutes of “high and terrible drama”.
Spanish financial crime analyst Mr Echeverria hit the terrorists with a skateboard to save a woman's life before he was stabbed to death, the court heard.
The man Ms Boden tried to help, Mr Pigeard, was murdered while “rushing to see if he could help” victims of what he believed to be an accidental crash.
French chef Sebastien Belanger, 36, had been drinking at Boro Bistro and was cornered by all three of the attackers but “bravely fought back” before being stabbed to death.
Another Frenchman, 45-year-old Xavier Thomas, became the first victim of the attack when he was struck by the terrorists' van and thrown into the River Thames.
The father-of-two was walking with his girlfriend Christine Delcros on the first day of their holiday in London, and called his teenage son seconds before being killed.
The van repeatedly mounted the pavement on London Bridge, killing the second victim as she walked alongside her fiance.
The court heard that Canadian social worker Christine Archibald, 30, had kissed her husband-to-be and told him “I love you” moments before being killed.
Her fiance, Tyler Ferguson, said they were “very much looking forward” to spending the rest of their lives together and starting a family.
Australian au pair Sara Zelenak was on a ”trip of a lifetime“ when she was knifed to death while on a night out with a friend nearby, her family said.
And dual British-Filipino national James McMullan, 32, had been celebrating getting financial backing for his online education company when he was murdered.
The 32-year-old been watching the football match with friends in The Barrowboy and Banker pub when he went outside for a cigarette and was caught in the attack.
Their attackers, Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, were shot dead by police at the scene.
The court heard that the terrorists had taped 12ins ceramic kitchen knives to their wrists and were wearing fake suicide vests.
Their deaths will be examined before a jury, in separate inquests coming after an estimated eight weeks of hearings for their victims.
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The court will now hear 'pen portraits' of Christine Archibald from her father, Greg, and fiance Tyler Ferguson
Christine Archibald was the second victim killed in the London Bridge attack, after being hit by the terrorists' van as she walked along the bridge with her fiance
Her father, Greg, is telling the court about her early life in Canada and bond with her twin sister.
Mr Archibald says Chrissy "found her calling" as a social worker. Her final placement was at a shelter for drug and alcohol addicts
She met her fiance Tyler in Calgary, but they initially stopped dating before he 'reappeared' later. He had secured a new job in the Netherlands and their relationship was long-distance until they decided to move in together
Tyler proposed after Chrissy moved in with him in the Hague
Mr Archibald said the couple kept in contact with their family at home in Canada as they made wedding plans and "started planning to have a family".
Tyler was in a business trip to London in June 2017 when Chrissy visited him and they went for a dinner date. "They were walking across London Bridge when suddenly it was over. Despite of the efforts of many people, Chrissy died."
Her father describes her as a "gentle but determined" person who loved her family and friends, and cats, and Tyler
Mr Archibald says his daughter had "found her path" in life
"Chrissy was not the sunshine, Chrissy was the moon. You might not notice the moon on a sunny day but you need the moon when the light is dark and you need light to find your way. That was our Chrissy."
A tribute from her fiance Tyler Ferguson is being red to the court
"Chrissy was my everything," it says. "She was compassionate and loyal ... I loved and still love Chrissy more than life itself ... I know she is always watching over me."
The tribute from Mr Ferguson says he can still remember the first time he saw Chrissy and said they "fell hard" for each other, with their love growing every day
He describes how Chrissy moved to the Netherlands to be with him, and that he proposed after dinner in their pyjamas and a slow dance in their living room on their first night living together. "We were very much looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together and starting a family after returning to Canada together."
Mr Ferguson still has a note that Chrissy left for him in his wallet as a suprise when he went on a work trip that described her love for him and her hopes for their life together
He descibes her visit to London while he was on a business trip and their dinner together. "We decided to walk across London Bridge, at one point Chrissy stopped me and gave me a passionate kiss."
He says "no words can describe" how he felt after the attack. Her ring came off during the attack and was found later, he wears it around his neck. "Nothing has been the same since"
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