Staff at a law firm have described in court how they fought off an alleged neo-Nazi who "threatened to kill a lawyer in a terror plot". 

Cavan Medlock is alleged to have arrived at Duncan Lewis law firm in Harrow armed with a combat knife and large Nazi flag in September 2020.

The 31-year-old from Harrow was also reportedly carrying handcuffs and a Confederate flag.

Kingston Crown Court heard on Monday (March 11) that he went on to threaten a receptionist with the knife before threatening to kill solicitor Toufique Hossain.

He also abused two other members of staff because of their racial or religious background, the court heard.

Medlock denies charges of making a threat to kill Mr Hossain and the preparation of terrorist acts.

Yesterday (March 12), Sheroy Zaq, who was working as a solicitor in Duncan Lewis’s public law and immigration departments at the time of the incident, claimed in court that the racial abuse from Medlock was “relentless”.

Mr Zaq was asked in court what Medlock had said to staff. The lawyer replied: “He just said he was upset with himself that he didn’t get to finish the job.”

The court heard that Medlock was restrained by the law firm’s staff after he advanced on a receptionist while holding a knife and demanding to see Mr Hossain.

The court heard that Medlock got receptionist Ravindran Tharmalangam in a headlock before being disarmed.

Giving evidence, Mr Tharmalangam said: “We got in a scuffle.

“I was holding the hand he was holding the knife with – we scuffled for a while, the knife fell off and I kicked it away.”

Giving evidence at the trial, Mr Hossain said: “For me, what was pretty horrifying about it, was that he [Medlock] was stone-cold, very unemotional – looking at me with a real deep hatred.”

Mr Hossain said he heard Medlock telling staff at the law firm “you’ve been helping these rats come to this country” and “various antisemitic things like ‘Hitler was right’”.

He added he remembered “very clearly” Medlock looking directly at him as the 31-year-old said he wanted “to kill” him.

A phone seized from Medlock shows that he had conducted research on the solicitor and read a newspaper article which named Mr Hossain as a lawyer who was assisting immigrants, the court heard.

Prosecutor Timothy Cray KC asked Mr Hossain: “Were you aware before the incident that your name had been mentioned in an article in the Daily Mail?”

Mr Hossain replied: “Yes, leading up to that day, we were aware of that article and a number of other articles in the preceding weeks.”

Giving evidence, Efrat Idelson, who was a trainee solicitor at Duncan Lewis in September 2020, said: “He started screaming at us that we are bringing illegal immigrants to the UK.

“He said that we bring black people – he also said Jews.”

She added: “He was very violent, aggressive and his comments were very racist and antisemitic.”

The trial continues.

Reporting by PA.