Stephen Timms attacker sentenced to life imprisonment

A student has been given a life sentence for attempting to murder Labour MP Stephen Timms.

Roshonara Choudhry, 21, stabbed Timms twice in the stomach during a meeting at a constituency surgery in Newham, East London, on May 14. She made the attack as she pretended to reach out to shake his hand.

The Old Bailey heard how Choudhry, of Central Park Road in East Ham, had told detectives that the attack was in order to “get revenge for the people of Iraq”. She had also made a list of other MPs who had voted for the Iraq war.

CCTV images show her sitting at a table with a knife in her hands just moments before the attack. She had a second knife in her bag just in case the first one broke.

In addition to attempted murder, Choudhry was found guilty of two accounts of possessing a knife. She will serve a minimum of 15 years.

Mr Justice Cooke deemed Choudhry to still pose a threat to other MPs.

Sentencing Choudhry, he said: “You said you ruined the rest of your life. You said it was worth it. You said you wanted to be a martyr.”

Timms, who is also the Labour Vice Chair for Faith Groups, has since made a full recovery from the attack.