Central News, Press Room, Central Criminal Court,

Central News, Press Room, Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, LONDON, EC4.

Tel: 020 7236 0116.

Old Bailey/Zak Newland
eMail: news@centralnews.

co.

uk
http://www.

centralnews.

co.

uk
30 June 2000

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Copeland’s dad Stephen later said he was standing by his son, and is convinced the bomber is mentally ill.

Speaking outside court with Copeland’s brother John by his side, he said: ‘Not surprisingly, I find it difficult to accept the verdict.

‘I felt there was enough overwhelming evidence to make it possible that there was a substantial impairment in his mind at the time when he planted the bombs.

‘Whether there is any chance of an appeal I don’t know.

I will be talking to his legal teams, and if there are not any grounds then that is more or less the end of the matter.

‘It’s difficult to say if David regrets what he did because he is still in a psychotic state.

He is not in a normal frame of mind, he is like a zombie because of the drugs they are giving him.

‘David very much regrets the deaths.

It was not his intention to kill anyone, and he has said that.

It was a wake-up call to the nation to make people aware of what was going on and to change things.

‘

Mr Copeland said he had not seen his son since the verdict, but said he will get the bomber’s reaction tomorrow at Broadmoor.

He also told how Copeland managed to hide his extreme political beliefs even from his closest family.

Mr Copeland went on: ‘I was not aware of his views, but they are obviously not right.

‘It’s not good to hold those views and to take such measures, but if a lad has in some way been embarrassed in his life, he is bound not to be in a normal frame of mind.

‘A normal person would not have done that – he has got to be seriously mentally ill.

‘

Asked what the reaction of family and friends have been to the case, Mr Copeland replied: ‘I think people have been supportive, but they tend not to talk to me probably as much as they normally would.

‘Perhaps they feel embarrassed about David and what he has done, and maybe they don’t come across to speak to us as they normally would.

‘They are totally shocked by this, as we all are.

Everybody at work and everybody who knows David is shocked by this.

‘

Mr Copeland then offered to lend a sympathetic ear to the bomb victims.

He said: ‘If there are any of the victims who want to speak to me and ask me any questions, they can contact me and I will meet them.

‘If there is anything they want to understand we will help them.

‘I firmly express my deepest regrets for David’s actions, but they were the actions of someone who was not in their right mind.

‘He is sorry for what he had done.

He didn’t want to kill anyone – that was an unfortunate biproduct of what he wanted to achieve.

‘He had a one-track mind.

He was driven, and he could not be stopped.

‘I will support David as a father forever – I would have supported him even if he had tried to blow me up.

You can’t just wash your hands of a child.

‘
ends

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