The ‘Lion of London Bridge’ has revealed he feared his life was in danger after he heroically fought off knife-wielding jihadis in June 2017.
Police also allegedly warned Roy Larner, 53, from South London that he could be on an ISIS kill list. After being stabbed eight times as he fought with Islamic terrorists, he was told to keep a low profile once he recovered, reports My London.
He took on the killers in Southwark’s Borough Market after enjoying a pint with friends at the Black & Blue steakhouse. And although he has endured something of a nightmare since, he can at least watch his favourite club Millwall free for the rest of his life.
After recovering from his injuries, Roy escaped alone to a caravan in Romney Marsh on the Kent coast to recharge. But he struggled to return to normal life after police told him radical jihadis could be hunting him down in revenge.
Roy said: “I had done something spectacular and I should have been enjoying the rest of my life, but it was impossible. Even the police said I should be careful because I could be on the ISIS kill list.
“It was a nightmare. I didn’t want to sleep because I was having nightmares – I was taking amphetamines to keep awake.
“One night I started smashing the television and stuff up. Someone called the police and they found the amphetamines and arrested me.”
While recovering from his injuries in hospital in 2017, a video emerged of Roy screaming expletives at a black photographer and spitting at him in Elephant and Castle earlier in the year. A month after the London Bridge attack, he was banned from MP Neil Coyle’s Bermondsey office after calling Muslims “pig-eating c****.” Roy later apologised for the Elephant and Castle incident.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “After the attack I used to think that all Muslims were terrorists. But then I got invited to a mosque and I went in and met people and that was a step forward – I realise now you get evil and good everywhere.”
Roy was even placed on the government’s anti-terror watch-list, Prevent, at one point. He said he believes police got the wrong end of the stick after far-right groups unveiled banners with his name on at several marches in the capital following the 2017 attack.
Today, Roy reserves his anger for the authorities that he feels let him down after the London Bridge incident. Five years on, he says he is still yet to receive proper counselling and was refused compensation for the injuries he sustained because of his criminal record.
He said: “I was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the attack, but I was just left. The local MPs have let me down.
“They didn’t want to meet face to face. I’ve never been able to meet the police officers who took me to hospital.
“They showed the CCTV of me fighting at the inquest, but nobody told me. I found out in the papers.”
He added: “I hope what happened to me never happens to anyone again. I got let down by them all, it makes me angry.”
But Roy said messages of thanks and support from members of the public has got him through the difficult times. His football team Millwall has also given him a lifetime free season ticket in recognition of his bravery.
He has written a book about his life and how the 2017 London Bridge attack changed it. ‘The Lion of London Bridge’ is available to buy now.
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