London gay-bar
bomber gets 50 years

Nail bomber David Copeland, responsible for the 1999 bombing of the London gay bar Admiral Duncan, has been sentenced to prison for a minimum of 50 years.

High court justice Burton extended the original sentence of 30 years to 50, citing the "exceptional gravity" of the case under new legislation.

Copeland was originally sentenced in June 2000 on three counts of murder and three for causing explosions in order to endanger lives. The neo-Nazi had planted a series of bombs throughout London--in Brixton, Brick Lane, and Soho--in a space of 13 days that resulted in 139 injuries, including several amputations.

Fatalities of the Admiral Duncan blast included a pregnant Andrea Dykes, 27; John Light, 32; and Nik Moore, 31. The horrific crimes galvanized gay rights and anti-hate activists in the United Kingdom and helped usher in several changes in policy favorable to LGBT people.

Burton said the attack was a "really exceptional case of deliberate, multiple murder" and that Copeland could serve longer than his extended sentence if it was "necessary for the protection of the public. When the defendant has served the minimum term, and if the parole board decides to direct his release, he will remain on license for the rest of his life and may be recalled to prison at any time."

At the time of the bombings, Copeland was 22. His plea of manslaughter on the grounds that he was a paranoid schizophrenic was dismissed.

A former British National Party member, Copeland allegedly quit because the right-wing group was not militant enough. (Hassan Mirza, Gay.com/U.K.)