Streatham terrorist did well in school before developing 'behavioural issues', inquest hears

2 August 2021, 18:06 | Updated: 2 August 2021, 18:18

Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman had done well in school before becoming more religious and developing "behavioural issues", an inquest has heard.

The 20-year-old, who was shot by police after stabbing two people in February last year, had been a "prefect and a mentor" but had later started "showing anger more often" and getting into trouble.

Detective chief inspector Luke Williams, from the Met's counter terrorism unit, said concerns had been raised about Amman and the influence he was having over his four younger siblings and mother.

Read more: NHS Covid app tweaked so fewer contacts have to self-isolate

Read more: Tests at stations and on trains find no traces of coronavirus

The inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice heard that issues over Amman's school attendance had first been raised in 2011.

Mr Williams told jurors on Monday that Amman had been suspended from school on three occasions in 2015 and 2016, including a "serious incident involving weapons" in which it was alleged Amman produced a samurai sword and a black revolver from his waistband.

He was subsequently arrested but there was a lack of evidence against him, Mr Williams said.

The inquest heard Amman attained B and C grades at GCSE and then went to Barnet College but was excluded after trying to hit a classmate with broken glass before punching him in the head.

Efforts by his mother to have the school take him back were rejected, which made Amman "angry".

Read more: Families reunite as double jabbed US and EU travellers arrive in UK free from quarantine

Read more: UK weather: Potential floods for south of England as Met Office issues thunder warning

Mr Williams said Amman's mother had described her son as becoming "more religious" following the exclusion, praying five times a day, growing a beard and wearing traditional Islamic dress.

He added that social workers described Amman as having "an influence over his mother and [she] had fear of him".

A report by social workers on Amman read: "He appears to be very stubborn, aggressive and challenging to engage.

"[Amman] doesn't have many friends and his friends in the past have cheated him."

He later accused social workers of calling him "a terrorist" and said that Great Britain "wasn't so great", when being spoken to by the home offending team.