One of the men who murdered Lee Rigby later said he was sorry for doing it and claimed he had been 'brainwashed'.
On 22 May, 2013, British soldier Lee Rigby was killed while off duty near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, London, as he was returning there after working at the Tower of London.
Two men, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, drove their car into Rigby before killing him with knives and a cleaver.
They told witnesses the murder was 'revenge' for Muslims killed by British soldiers, with Adebolajo telling witnesses it was 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'.
Advert
The killers stayed at the scene of the crime until the police arrived, with both men charging at the police and being wounded before they were arrested.
Adebolajo was given a whole life order in prison, meaning he would never be released, while Adebowale was sentenced to a minimum of 45 years in prison.
Five years after the murder Adebolajo apologised for the murder, claiming he was 'brainwashed' and had 'misinterpreted the Koran' in trying to justify his part in the murder of Rigby.
According to the Daily Telegraph, he had told a fellow inmate and a member of the prison pastoral staff that he regretted the murder and had acknowledged that he'd killed an innocent man.
Advert
They also reported that he said he might write a letter of apology to Rigby's mother, who told The Sun on Sunday she would 'never forgive him' for killing her son.
"To hear his killer say that Lee was innocent and that he regrets killing him is the ultimate kick in the teeth," Lyn Rigby said.
"I don't accept his sorrow or regret as genuine. And I never want him to contact me or my family."
"I have fought so hard to pull back from the brink of suicide as I tried to get over Lee's murder. It makes me feel even worse to now hear his killer say he regrets what he has done."
Advert
Rigby's 12-year-old son Jack said he lost the ability to speak after the horrific murder of his father, and has since spoken out about the trauma he has suffered through growing up without his dad.
Jack is walking and running a marathon over the course of a month to raise money for the Scotty’s Little Soldiers charity.
He wants to raise £1,000 for every year he's gone without his father and is aiming to amass a total of £10,000 for the charity.
While he's halfway there in terms of distance covered at time of writing he's already hit his target for the charity fundraiser, which you can donate to here if you like.
Joe Harker