Woolwich attack: Watch brave mum tell how she confronted terrorist after soldier had been hacked to death

Ingrid Loyau-Kennett was passing the  scene on a bus but jumped off to rush to the aid of the murdered soldier…..

A mum-of-two has told how she confronted one of the Woolwich  terrorists and tried to persuade him to hand over his weapons.

Courageous Ingrid Loyau-Kennett was passing the scene on a bus but jumped off  to rush to the aid of the stricken soldier.

The 48-year-old told ITV’s Daybreak she initially thought the victim had been  injured in a car crash after spotting a badly damaged vehicle on a pavement at  the scene.

She said: “I went to the guy and when I approached the body there was a lady  cradling him. And then (one of the killers), the most excited one of the two,  said, ‘Don’t go too close to the body’.

“I thought, okay. And because I was down I could see a butcher’s knife and an  axe – that’s what he had – and blood. I thought, what the heck? I thought  obviously he was a bit excited and the thing was just to talk to him.”

She said: “I know it’s big today but for me it was just a regular guy, just a  bit upset. He was not on drugs, he was not drunk.

“He said, ‘Don’t touch, I killed him’. I said, ‘Why?’ He said: ‘He’s a  British soldier. He killed people. He killed Muslim people in Muslim  countries.’

“And I said: okay. So what would you like? I tried to maker him talk about  how he felt. He said all the bombs dropping and blindly killing women,  children…

“More and more people were starting to come. There were so many people  around. I just looked around and I found it so daunting.”

However, Ms Loyau-Kennett said her thoughts were to “just carry on” talking  to the man, while several woman arriving at the scene tried to shield the  victim.

She said: “I wanted him to concentrate on me and make sure he doesn’t have a  funny idea.

“He (the killer) told me he was a British soldier – he didn’t look like a  British soldier to me, he wasn’t in uniform. But I thought if another one passes  by, or is in the area…”

Asked if she was scared, the woman replied: “No – better me than a child.

“Unfortunately there were more and more mothers with children stopping  around, so it was even more important I was talking to him and ask him what he  wanted.”

Woolwich and Greenwich MP Nick Raynsford today praised the “extraordinary”  bravery of members of the public who approached the killers. The men are  currently in separate London hospitals being treated for injuries after they  were shot by police at the scene.

Relatives of the dead soldier are believed to have been informed though he  has yet to be