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 inquests are now breaking for lunch and our live coveragfe will resume at 2pm
The inquests are now resuming with a tribute to James McMullan, 32
His sister says that the morning of 3 June called their mum to say he had received his first-ever financial backing for an elearning project and was going to celebrate with friends
The last time she saw her brother was her 30th birthday in May 2017. "Rest in power, James," she says
Mr McMullan's father, Simon, calls his son's personality "magnetic" and said he could "talk the socks of anyone he met"
"He wanted to learn more about you, he wanted to learn more about everyone he met," he says. "James had more friends than both and all of them will tell you that he was the heart and soul of every occasion."
Mr McMullan said he helped people turn negative traits into positive ones and have new experiences
His father says he was "fearless", from talking talking to strangers to skiing, adding "nothing seemed to faze him"
"James was a person who put his family above all else," he says. "His generosity is famous to all those who knew him ... our lives were enriched by his presence. Nothing we could gain can be a substitute for the loss we now feel."
"James was an explorer of everything ... he would lead the way along an untrodden path then turn around, extend his hand and urge you to join him."
Mr McMullan's father said he "lived life as only he could", calling him an "inspiration and maddening genius"
A video tribute to French national Alexandre Pigeard, 26, is being played to the court
It says he had called loved ones on Facetime shortly before the attack as he worked as a waiter at Boro Bistro,
The video is showing text saying he was the eldest of three brothers and two sisters. He was prat of a collective of French DJs and music producers, Club 808
Photos show Mr Pigeard DJing at parties hosted by the collective in France, and appearing on the radio. His friends nicknamed him the "king of the night"
The tribute said he left an "indelible imprint on the hearts of every woman he loved". He moved to London in 2016 after being encouraged by his family and "found his place" at Boro Bistro
The tribute video says that in London, Mr Pigeard continued his passion for music and "took full advantage of London music" as a performer. He planned to leave London in autumn 2017 to open a restaurant back in Nantes, France
Mr Pigeard's father, Phillipe, is now speaking to the court and his tribute is being translated into English
"A handful of minutes of horror and barbarism where the assassins jumped on him," he says. "After the crash Alexandre rushed to see if he could help because it seemed to be an accident."
Mr Pigeard's father said he was very happy in London, despite his "exhausting" job: "He loved England, he loved London ... but today London has become traumatic" for the family
He thanks British authorities, the police, family liason, counterterror unit and the coroner for the "rigour" of the inquests
"I praise the rigour of the investigation ... but there are still questions concerning the possibility of such an attack within the heart of London in spite of security services and the threat level, and two attacks in two months."
Mr Pigeard questions whether police in Britain should be armed
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