Lee Rigby trial: 'No joy in killing', Adebolajo says

Mr Adebolajo had a blanket over his head for much of the time he was interviewed

One of the men accused of murdering soldier Lee Rigby told police it gave him "little joy to approach anybody and slay them", the Old Bailey has heard.

The jury heard Michael Adebolajo make the statement in a video of a police interview played to the court.

Fusilier Rigby was killed as he walked back to his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London, on 22 May.

Mr Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, deny murdering the soldier.

Both men also deny attempting to murder a police officer and conspiracy to murder a police officer.

'Soldier of Allah'

In the video of the first interview shown to the court, Mr Adebolajo spoke to the police non-stop for close to 40 minutes, saying he was "not a man who enjoys watching horror movies. This is not my character".

The defendant had a blue blanket covering his head for much of the interview, during which he said he was not ashamed of being called British.

He said he was born in Britain, grew up in the country, was educated there and experienced many good things.

But he continued: "That word British is now associated with murder, pillaging and rape."

The murder suspect said there was a "war between the Muslims and the British people" and he was a "soldier of Allah".

He blamed the country's political class, who he accused of ruling the British people "in a very wicked, corrupt, selfish and oppressive manner", for sending working class people to fight in Muslim lands.

Occasionally revealing his face to the camera's view, Mr Adebolajo said: "It's for those people who have not yet understood the nature, the nature of the war that's ongoing and has been ongoing for some many years between the Muslims and the British people."

The jury were shown a picture of the damaged Vauxhall Tigra used to drive into Fusilier Rigby

Knives recovered from the scene were also shown

Fusilier Rigby's backpack he was wearing on the day he was killed was shown to the court

Mr Adebolajo told police he was "particularly disgusted by David Cameron, the Miliband brothers and what's-his-name, Nick Clegg".

In a second interview session shown to the court, the police asked Mr Adebolajo what had happened to Fusilier Rigby.

He described how Fusilier Rigby was killed and asked for Allah's forgiveness if his actions had displeased him.

The pathologist who carried out the post-mortem on Fusilier Rigby later described to the court wounds that were consistent with the evidence that had been given earlier.

They included fractures to his back that could have been caused when he was driven into by a car at the start of the attack and "numerous and very deep" wounds to his neck, some of which it would have taken "severe force" to inflict.

He gave the cause of death as "multiple incised wounds".

Earlier the court heard how a psychiatrist who assessed Mr Adebolajo concluded that he does not have a mental disorder.

The expert who assessed Mr Adebolajo said he was polite and co-operative and had mental capacity, the jury was told.

The statement read to the Old Bailey on behalf of consultant forensic psychiatrist Tim McInerny, who interviewed Mr Adebolajo at King's College Hospital on three occasions, said the defendant had been keen to talk about the incident that led to his arrest.

Mr Adebolajo stressed that he had not been taking any illicit substances and had not been feeling unwell in the run-up to the events of 22 May.

On Tuesday, the police released CCTV images of Mr Adebolajo and Mr Adebowale being shot in the aftermath of the attack

The defendant "showed no signs of regret or remorse" about what happened, the psychiatrist said.

Mr McInerny added that Mr Adebolajo warned he would be a "continuing risk to the British military".

His actions had been "on the basis of his religious beliefs and because British soldiers were killing people in the Middle East", Mr Adebolajo had told Mr McInerny.

Mr Adebolajo told the psychiatrist that he was concerned about the impact the events in Woolwich would have on his family.

In their final meeting on 31 May, Mr Adebolajo said he had no concerns about his medical care and that he was aware he would be transferred to police custody and interviewed.

At the start of the fourth day of the trial, the jury was shown a series of photographs taken at the scene of the killing, including a bloodied machete, two knives, and a letter that Adebolajo had handed to members of the public at the scene of the attack.

The trial continues on Thursday.