- guardian.co.uk, Monday June 5 2000 16.47 BST
David Copeland, 23, allegedly planted the bomb in the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, central London, which killed pregnant Andrea Dykes, 27, and friends John Light, 32, and Nik Moore, 31, in April last year.
Copeland is accused of having packed a plastic pipe with flash powder he removed from various fireworks which he sealed in with glue. This was put into a box surrounded by around 1,500 nails of differing sizes, from 6ins down, which acted as shrapnel.
The prosecution says Copeland also used a modified timer and two electrical igniters, powered by batteries, as detonators.
"Each was designed to be lethal and resulted from the defendant's use of two books he downloaded from the internet - The Terrorists' Handbook and How To Make Bombs Book Two," said Nigel Sweeney QC, prosecuting.
Copeland, an engineer from Farnborough, Hampshire, admitted to manslaughter at an earlier hearing on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but his plea was not accepted by the prosecution. He denies murder.
Mrs Dykes's husband, Julian, a 25-year-old computer programmer from Colchester, Essex, who was injured in the pub attack, sat at the back of the court as Copeland was led in for today's trial.
The court heard how Copeland had pleaded guilty to causing three explosions in the space of 13 days. Each bomb was of the same broad type and hidden inside a sports bag.
The first blast was at Brixton, south London, on April 17, and was followed a week later by an explosion in Brick Lane, in London's east end. These first two bombs caused injuries.
The third device, planted on April 30, caused death and destruction. Mr Sweeney told the jury there were at least 70 people inside the pub that Friday evening.
