US tourist pays tribute to husband who died in Westminster terror attack

The widow of one of four pedestrians killed when terrorist Khalid Masood ploughed into them on Westminster Bridge has paid loving tribute to her husband in her first interview on camera since the horrific attack last year.

Melissa Cochran suffered a severely broken leg, broke three ribs, as well as her back in three places, and lacerations to her head and thigh but survived the attack after Kurt Cochran pushed her out of the way of the oncoming truck.

The US tourist opened up about her loving husband in an interview today, revealing he would have sacrificed his life bravely for anyone. 

 

Melissa Cochran suffered a severely broken leg, broke three ribs, as well as her back in three places, and lacerations to her head and thigh but survived the attack after Kurt Cochran pushed her out of the way of the oncoming truck

Mr Cochran was the hit and killed by the speeding Hyundai Tucson, which propelled him over the bridge and onto the pavement below. 

In an interview with the BBC she said Mr Cochran would have acted instinctively to protect her, or anybody else who was in danger. 

She said: ‘I recall hearing an engine revving and I quickly looked over and remember just seeing the hood of this car but I don’t recall anything else.’

Adding: ‘He (Kurt) pushed me out of the way… basically he sacrificed his life for mine.’

Mr Cochran (pictured right) was the hit and killed by the speeding Hyundai Tucson, which propelled him over the bridge and onto the pavement below

‘It isn’t surprising, really,’ she continued, ‘Kurt would have done that for anyone, honestly. The fact that it was me standing next to him – if it had been a complete stranger Kurt would have been that kinda guy.’  

Despite the loss of her husband, Mrs Cochran says she feels sorry for killer Masood. 

Speaking from her home in Utah, Ms Cochran said she ‘can only imagine the heartbreak’ they feel at the murders the terrorist committed.

‘I want to express my deepest love and compassion to all of the (victims’) families, to all of those who helped in any way that they could after the attack,’ she said.

In an interview with the BBC she said Mr Cochran would have acted instinctively to protect her, or anybody else who was in danger. She said: 'I recall hearing an engine revving and I quickly looked over and remember just seeing the hood of this car but I don't recall anything else'

In an interview with the BBC she said Mr Cochran would have acted instinctively to protect her, or anybody else who was in danger. She said: ‘I recall hearing an engine revving and I quickly looked over and remember just seeing the hood of this car but I don’t recall anything else’

Speaking from her home in Utah, Ms Cochran said she 'can only imagine the heartbreak' they feel at the murders the terrorist committed

Speaking from her home in Utah, Ms Cochran said she ‘can only imagine the heartbreak’ they feel at the murders the terrorist committed

‘I want to express love and compassion to those who had to relive those events by testifying, I know that was very hard for some people. I also want to express love and compassion for Masood’s family.

‘From what I understand they didn’t share his belief system and this was not something that any of them obviously wanted to happen, they were obviously shocked when it did happen.

'I want to express my deepest love and compassion to all of the (victims') families, to all of those who helped in any way that they could after the attack,' she said (pictured on the day of the attack)

‘I want to express my deepest love and compassion to all of the (victims’) families, to all of those who helped in any way that they could after the attack,’ she said (pictured on the day of the attack)

‘I can only imagine the heartbreak they are feeling knowing that their father or their husband or son committed such atrocities.

‘I just know in my heart that love and compassion and kindness wins over.’

The couple had been visiting London as part of a trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.  

It comes after the widow of PC Keith Palmer said her husband had been ‘left to die’ during the Westminster terror attack after an inquest found his murder could have been prevented.

Michelle Palmer criticised police chiefs for leaving her unarmed husband to guard one of the world’s most iconic buildings – and ‘top terrorist targets’ – without firearms officers beside him.

Coroner Mark Lucraft QC ruled that PC Palmer could still be alive today if police marksmen had been at the front gates at the time of the atrocity. Instead, they were 80 yards away.

The inquest also heard that firearms officers had been stationed at the entrance PC Palmer was guarding ‘seven or eight’ years ago – but were subsequently told to carry out roving patrols.

Michelle Palmer (pictured with Pc Keith Palmer) says that her husband was let down by a failure to protect him and said his family were let down by a failure to properly investigate his death 

Michelle Palmer (pictured with Pc Keith Palmer) says that her husband was let down by a failure to protect him and said his family were let down by a failure to properly investigate his death 

Numerous security reviews, including one just two years before, had found the front gates were particularly vulnerable to attack.

In the wake of Mr Lucraft’s damning verdict, Mrs Palmer said no one at Scotland Yard had taken responsibility for the ‘lax security’ that left him ‘unprotected’ during the assault by terrorist Khalid Masood.

She said she had been ‘let down’ and that the hardest part of her husband’s murder was having to tell their six-year-old daughter, Amy, that her ‘daddy was gone’.

PC Palmer, 48, was guarding the Carriage Gates at the Palace of Westminster in March last year when Masood embarked on his rampage.

Murdered PC Keith Palmer pictured with his wife Michelle. PC Palmer, 48, was guarding the Carriage Gates at the Palace of Westminster in March last year when Masood embarked on his rampage

Murdered PC Keith Palmer pictured with his wife Michelle. PC Palmer, 48, was guarding the Carriage Gates at the Palace of Westminster in March last year when Masood embarked on his rampage

Emergency services are pictured at the scene of the Westminster attack giving medical treatment to the terrorist 

Emergency services are pictured at the scene of the Westminster attack giving medical treatment to the terrorist 

After mowing down and killing four pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, he rammed into the Houses of Parliament and burst out with a carving knife and a hunting knife.

Armed only with a baton and CS spray, PC Palmer was held down by Masood and repeatedly stabbed in the face, neck and back after trying to intervene in his deadly assault.

His body armour did not protect him and he died from his wounds just minutes later while witnesses tried to save him.

Masood was finally shot by two close protection officers who only happened to be at Parliament because they were guarding then-defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon. The two armed officers on duty at Parliament on the day of the attack had not gone near the gate for almost an hour beforehand.

They were 80 yards away when PC Palmer was stabbed and could not see the attack unfold.

Masood killed four civilians and a police officer during his car and knife rampage

On March 18 Masood drove to Cobham services and checks in at the Welcome Break Hotel

Masood killed four civilians and a police officer during his car and knife rampage. He was pictured smiling at a hotel shortly before the attack

John Frade, the widower of mother-of-two Aysha who was killed in the attack, said he hoped 'lessons will be learned' to prevent similar tragedies

John Frade, the widower of mother-of-two Aysha (pictured) who was killed in the attack, said he hoped 'lessons will be learned' to prevent similar tragedies

John Frade, the widower of mother-of-two Aysha who was killed in the attack, said he hoped ‘lessons will be learned’ to prevent similar tragedies

Receipts from a trip to Tesco in Birmingham show Masood buying essentials such as bodywash, whilst he also purchased two carving knives 

Receipts from a trip to Tesco in Birmingham show Masood buying essentials such as bodywash, whilst he also purchased two carving knives 

Since PC Palmer’s death, Scotland Yard has been accused of unfairly blaming the junior officers to hide systematic security failings.

The marksmen insist they were simply following orders by focusing their attentions on another entrance at Parliament that was commonly used by MPs and ministers.

Yesterday, following a four-week inquest, Mr Lucraft said that had the armed officers been stationed at the Carriage Gates, ‘it is possible they may have been able to prevent PC Palmer suffering fatal injuries’.

In the wake of his verdict last night, Mrs Palmer said: ‘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? He was left at a vulnerable location with no protection to die.

Attacker Khalid Masood is given medical treatment outside Parliament after he was shot following his murderous rampage in which he killed four pedestrians and stabbed PC Palmer

Attacker Khalid Masood is given medical treatment outside Parliament after he was shot following his murderous rampage in which he killed four pedestrians and stabbed PC Palmer

Leslie Rhodes was among the Westminster terror attack victims

Andreea Cristea was a Romanian tourist killed in the Westminster attack

Retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes (left) and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea (right) were both killed in the attack 

‘Nobody wants to take responsibility for leaving one of their own officers there unprotected when they knew that police officers were at risk of attack at this vulnerable location.

Security risk was flagged up years ago

A security review two years before PC Keith Palmer’s death concluded that the gate where he was stationed was ‘vulnerable’ because it was manned by unarmed officers.

But the Houses of Parliament threat assessment was never passed on to police on the ground, the inquest heard.

On the day of Khalid Masood’s attack, no firearms officer was seen near Carriage Gates for almost an hour before PC Palmer was knifed.

Instead, marksmen prioritised the Members’ Entrance which was used by ministers and MPs to attend Prime Minister’s Questions.

A tactical assessment published in early 2015 found that armed officers should be able to quickly respond to an attack at Carriage Gates.

But PC Lee Ashby, one of the firearms officers on duty that day, said he was unaware of the concerns raised. He said it was impossible to provide effective cover for all the gates on his patrol and admitted the system left unarmed officers unprotected ‘more often than not’.

He said he would have shot Masood if he had been at the gate. Firearms officers used to be stationed behind Carriage Gates until 2012.

PC Ashby said he had to cover three other entrances and the fence line, admitting he could not be at ‘more than one place at a time’.

 

‘What makes it even worse is that this lax security had been carrying on for years and it has taken what happened to Keith for things to change. [Scotland Yard] let Keith down by failing to protect him and let us down by failing to investigate his death properly.’

In a particularly emotional statement, she said the hardest part of her husband’s murder was having to tell their six-year-old daughter Amy that her father had died.

‘The hardest thing was having to tell Amy that her daddy was gone,’ she said. ‘They were the best of friends and he was her world. Bed times were the hardest for her as that’s when Keith would usually be around to help.’

Her damning assessment of police chiefs came as the inquest into the five victims of the Westminster attack ended yesterday.

Mr Lucraft ruled that PC Palmer and the four pedestrians – Kurt Cochran, 54, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Andrea Cristae, 31 – who died on Westminster Bridge were ‘unlawfully killed’ by Masood.

In other developments:

  • Scotland Yard finally apologised for the ‘possibility’ they lost the chance to save PC Palmer.
  • Mrs Frade’s husband John accused the MI5 of missing a series of chances to prevent the attack.
  • The coroner called for ‘distressing’ pictures of the victims to be removed from the internet.

The inquest heard marksmen had been stationed at PC Palmer’s gate ‘seven or eight’ years ago but were then ordered to carry out roving patrols – leaving the Carriage Gates vulnerable to attack.

Several security reviews found the entrance to be ‘one of the weakest points in the physical perimeter’ of Parliament.

Another assessment was carried out in 2015 shortly after the UK’s terror threat level had been raised to severe. 

Once again major flaws were revealed and instructions published telling officers to make regular checks at Carriage Gates.

Most firearms officers were unaware of the new tactics and said they had been verbally ordered to continue with roving patrols.

Aysha Frade (pictured) was also killed in the terror attack that struck Westminster, central London

Kurt Cohran (pictured) was also killed in the terror attack that struck Westminster, central London

Aysha Frade (left) and Kurt Cohran (right) were also killed in the terror attack that struck Westminster, central London

Chief coroner Mark Lucraft said there were 'shortcomings in the security system' in New Palace Yard, where PC Palmer was attacked

Chief coroner Mark Lucraft said there were ‘shortcomings in the security system’ in New Palace Yard, where PC Palmer was attacked

After the attack junior officers said they had been ‘hung out to dry’ by police chiefs who attempted to blame them for their actions on the day.

Giving his findings at the Old Bailey inquest, Mr Lucraft said: ‘Due to shortcoming in security system … 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.’

Last night PC Palmer’s parents John and Sylvia Curtis and his sisters Angela Clark and Michelle Palmer welcomed the coroner’s findings but said he should have been tougher in his criticism of the Metropolitan Police.

In a statement, they said: ‘We expected the Met to welcome an open and transparent examination of this horrific attack on its own officer and members of the public, yet instead senior officers seem to have closed ranks.’

‘They let Keith down by failing to protect him’: Widow’s full speech

Michelle Palmer, widow of Pc Keith Palmer, said: ‘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?

‘He was left at a vulnerable location with no protection to die.

‘The fact there were no firearms officers there for nearly an hour is hard to believe. I truly believe that if they had been there he would still be here today and Amy wouldn’t have lost her daddy.

‘What is so disappointing is that the police haven’t been very open about their investigation in relation to the security arrangements at the Palace of Westminster. They have been very slow to get to the bottom of how this was allowed to happen.

‘Nobody wants to take responsibility for leaving one of their own officers there unprotected when they knew that police officers were at risk of attack at this vulnerable location.’

Police officers lined the streets of London for PC Palmer's funeral last April

Police officers lined the streets of London for PC Palmer’s funeral last April

Mrs Palmer continued: ‘What makes it even worse is that this lax security had been carrying on for years and it has taken what happened to Keith for things to change.

‘I am pleased that the coroner found that there were shortcomings in the security system by the senior command of the Metropolitan Police but it won’t bring Keith back.

‘They let Keith down by failing to protect him and let us down by failing to investigate his death properly. Now we have to live with the consequences of their failure.’

In a joint statement released through their lawyers, PC Palmer’s parents and siblings, John and Sylvia Curtis, Angela Clark, Michelle Palmer and John Curtis said: ‘The inquest has been traumatic and extremely difficult for our family.

‘We welcome the fact that the Chief Coroner has recognised some of the Met’s failings – and their consequences – but believe he should have gone further. 

‘We fought hard to try and get answers to the many questions which have arisen through this process. Unfortunately there are many which are still unanswered.’

His funeral cortege passed the Palace of Westminster where he was killed

His funeral cortege passed the Palace of Westminster where he was killed

The family statement continued: ‘We expected the Met to welcome an open and transparent examination of this horrific attack on its own officer and members of the public, yet instead senior officers seem to have closed ranks. 

‘What message does this send to ordinary officers bravely reporting for duty every day, to keep us all safe? 

‘We have been deeply reluctant to speak out about our experiences but have done so only in the hope that future Coroners will take note of our experience and put questions from the bereaved families at the heart of the process, so the full truth can emerge. Otherwise what is the point of an inquest?

‘We would like to say how proud we are of Keith. We now have an even clearer picture of just how brave and courageous he was in that terrible moment. We love and miss him every day, but we are very glad that we had him in our lives.

‘Our family would like to thank everyone who has supported us during this difficult time and express our huge thanks to our legal team for their incredible support, kindness and hard work both before, and during, this inquest process.’

 

  

Pc Palmer’s parents and siblings speak out on their ‘traumatic’ loss

 

John and Sylvia Curtis, Angela Clark, Michelle Palmer, and John Curtis said in a statement today: ‘The inquest has been traumatic and extremely difficult for our family. 

‘We welcome the fact that the Chief Coroner has recognised some of the Met’s failings – and their consequences – but believe he should have gone further. 

‘We fought hard to try and get answers to the many questions which have arisen through this process. Unfortunately there are many which are still unanswered.

‘We expected the Met to welcome an open and transparent examination of this horrific attack on its own officer and members of the public, yet instead senior officers seem to have closed ranks. 

‘What message does this send to ordinary officers bravely reporting for duty every day, to keep us all safe? 

‘We have been deeply reluctant to speak out about our experiences but have done so only in the hope that future Coroners will take note of our experience and put questions from the bereaved families at the heart of the process, so the full truth can emerge. Otherwise what is the point of an inquest?

‘We would like to say how proud we are of Keith. We now have an even clearer picture of just how brave and courageous he was in that terrible moment. We love and miss him every day, but we are very glad that we had him in our lives.

‘Our family would like to thank everyone who has supported us during this difficult time and express our huge thanks to our legal team for their incredible support, kindness and hard work both before, and during, this inquest process.’

Melissa Cochran was pushed aside by her husband Kurt (pictured together just before he died) as the used his 4x4 car as a weapon in the shadow of Big Ben last March.

Melissa Cochran was pushed aside by her husband Kurt (pictured together just before he died) as the used his 4×4 car as a weapon in the shadow of Big Ben last March.

The couple were the first to be attacked by Khalid Masood in the devastating attack last March 

The couple were the first to be attacked by Khalid Masood in the devastating attack last March 

Melissa Cochran attended the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London in April last year

Melissa Cochran attended the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London in April last year

Melissa, pictured in hospital after the attack, has sent an extraordinary message to Masood's family about the grief they must feel 

Melissa, pictured in hospital after the attack, has sent an extraordinary message to Masood’s family about the grief they must feel 

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