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The Sun
06-07-2025
- The Sun
I stared into eyes of 7/7 bomber & saw moment he blew himself up – all I remember is a white flash… it was hell on earth
A MAN who survived the 7/7 bombings has recalled the chilling moment he stared into the eyes of a terrorist just seconds before he blew himself up. Dan Biddle, now 46, lost a spleen along with both legs and his left eye after a suicide bomb exploded next to him on a Tube train near Edgware Road station on that fateful morning 20 years ago. 6 6 6 6 In the morning rush hour on July 7, 2005, four home-grown Islamic terrorists detonated suicide bombs on three Underground trains and a bus killing 52 commuters and wounding 748. Dan, was in touching distance of lead bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan, on a rush-hour London Underground Circle line train. But despite surviving his near-fatal wounds against the odds, he can never forget the moment he locked eyes with the crazed bomber. At 8.52am Dan was leaning against the Perspex partition at the front of the second carriage on the Tube train travelling from Edgware Road towards Paddington. Suicide bomber Khan, 30, from Leeds, was on the seat the other side of the Perspex, just six inches away. In an exclusive chat with The Sun, Dan said: "As as we pulled out of Edgware Road station, I could feel somebody staring at me. 'His rucksack was on his lap in line with my knees as I stood next to him. He looked up at me, quickly lowered his eyes, put his right hand through the zip in the top of his bag and exploded himself. 'When the bomb went off in a brilliant white flash an immense amount of heat hit me." Khan had detonated a homemade bomb - made using an al-Qaeda-devised chemical recipe - that he was carrying in his rucksack. The catastrophic explosion severed both Dan Biddle's legs and sprayed coins into his face like bullets, blinding him in one eye. With the one eye he had left he looked around the wrecked train and he confessed that the carnage he witnessed still haunts him decades on. Speaking to The Sun in a new documentary that said: "Straight after the explosion, you could have heard a pin drop. It was almost as if everybody had just taken a big breat. "And then it was like opening the gates of hell. Screaming like I've never heard before." The device killed David Foulkes, 22, Jennifer Nicholson, 24, Laura Webb, 29, Jonathan Downey, 34, Colin Morley and Michael Brewster, both 52. Dan continued: "It was as if someone had pumped the carriage up to the maximum it could take and then sucked it out really quickly. 'The hand pole from the carriage speared my body before I bounced out of the train headfirst, hit the tunnel wall and landed in the crawlspace with a big chunk of metal on top of me. "My arms and hands were alight and my face was burnt as well." And now, as survivors prepare to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings, construction worker Dan faces fresh agony. Because while the great and the good will join survivors and families of the 52 dead at St Paul's Cathedral on July 7, Dan will not be one of them. Despite being the most injured survivor of the London bombings, both he and the hero who saved his life have not been invited. Dan only survived because brave former Army medic Adrian Heili ignored his own injuries to crawl under the mangled carriage to stop him bleeding to death. The former military medic had blood pouring down his face and a dislocated shoulder but instead of fleeing he stepped over several charred bodies and headed towards Dan's cries for help. The pair who are best of pals have supported each other through the horrors they have each endured in the last 20 years since fate brought them together amid the nightmare of Britain's first suicide bombing. Dan added: 'I've died three times on an operating table and had the same number of goes at killing myself. Luckily, the doctors were brilliant at saving my life and I was crap at ending it. 'It's 20 years since the bombing and it's still as crystal clear in my head now as if it happened 30 seconds ago.' 6
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment thug who killed 'gentle' engineer with one punch after 'brushing together' on the Tube is arrested - as fury grows over 'inadequate' prison sentence that could see him released in six years
This is the moment a Tube passenger was arrested after killing a commuter who 'brushed past' him with a single punch. Rakeem Miles, 24, grabbed 'gentle' AI engineer Samuel Winter from behind with such force he tore his top in two before punching him once in the head, sending him tumbling to the floor. The brutal assault left Mr Winter fatally injured, dying in hospital two days after the attack. Miles ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He is now serving an eight-year sentence - but could be out on the streets in five and a half years. Campaigners are calling for the sentence to be revisited, branding it 'simply inadequate'. The pair had been travelling on separate carriages on the Jubilee line before disembarking at Southwark Underground station at around 9.30pm on August 22 last year. As they left the station, Mr Winter 'brushed past' Miles and continued walking. Miles stopped in his tracks for a second before following after Mr Winter, shouting after him - before grabbing him by his top and throwing a single, powerful punch which connected with the tech worker's head with such force he collapsed. The thug then fled from the scene as he left his victim - who had not interacted with him beyond passing him in Southwark Underground station - fatally hurt on the stairs. Police worked rapidly to trace Miles as paramedics took Mr Winter to hospital with a critical brain injury. They quickly used Oyster card data to trace his top-ups back to a nearby shop. When officers arrived at the shop the next morning, a worker informed them that Miles had just left moments earlier - and they stormed down the street to arrest him on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. In video footage released by the British Transport Police, Miles can be seen being restrained by police officers in the street. He appears to make no attempt to resist and bows his head as he is handcuffed and led into a police van. The charge of GBH was elevated to murder after Mr Winter - described in tributes as 'gentle, kind and patient' - died on August 24, surrounded by his family. But Miles was cleared of murder by a jury in March - instead pleading guilty to a manslaughter, for which he was sentenced on Tuesday to eight years imprisonment with a further five years on licence. He must serve at least five and a half years before he will be eligible for parole, with no guarantee of release at that time. However, the apparent levity of the sentence has sparked anger and calls for a tougher sentence. Susan Hall, leader of City Hall Conservatives, told MailOnline: 'My heart breaks. Samuel Winter brushed past someone in a Tube station - something we all do, daily - and this heartless monster took his life. 'Samuel Winter will not go home to his family and friends, he will not go back to his job, he will not live out the rest of his life, tragically cut short as it was. '(Rakeem Miles) will do five years at a push before he walks free, without any remorse or consequences beyond that. There is no justice in it at all, and I despair that this is what London has come to. 'Make no mistake - any one of us could have been Samuel Winter. My thoughts are with his family.' Campaign group Crush Crime has submitted a request to the Attorney General's Office for a review of Miles' sentence. It said in its request: 'This was an unprovoked attack, with multiple stages at which Rakeem Miles could have chosen to stop. 'A sentence of 8 years (with five and a half years before he is eligible for parole) is simply inadequate for a remorseless killer that pursued his victim for an unprovoked attack. 'It is difficult to see why such a short sentence is justified or why it is important for Rakeem Miles to be potentially out on Britain's streets, walking past members of the public, in five and a half years time. The sentence must be revisited.' A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office confirmed that they had received a request to review Miles' sentence. They added: 'We have received a request for this sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme. 'The Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision.' An online CV suggests Mr Winter had been working in technology for a multinational medical firm, and had volunteered with a number of Christian organisations and as a physiotherapist. Online tributes described him as 'kind, intelligent, clever... and always ready to help those in need'. Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell said: 'Though nothing can bring Samuel back, I hope today's sentencing allows his family some small measure of comfort as they continue to grieve for him. 'Samuel's family described him as gentle and kind, and he will be sorely missed by all those who love him. We reiterate our requests to give the family privacy at such a difficult time. 'It only took one punch from Miles to end Samuel's life and forever change the lives of those around him. 'He showed no remorse for his action, leaving Samuel at the station and continuing on with his evening. 'The quick-time and thorough investigation by the teams involved meant Miles was identified and apprehended quickly. 'There is zero tolerance for violence on the railway and I'd like to thank my team for their hard work and determination to secure justice for Samuel's family.' In a heart-wrenching tribute, the victim's family said: 'Sam was a very much-loved son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew and friend. 'We are devastated his life here has ended. He was a qualified physiotherapist, AI engineer and a volunteer with several charities. 'His family and friends will remember him as gentle and kind, quick-witted and funny, with deep faith and an unendingly giving spirit.'
The Sun
25-06-2025
- The Sun
Tube passenger, 23, who killed ‘gentle & kind' commuter, 28, with single punch after he brushed past him jailed for 8yrs
A TUBE passenger who killed a "gentle and kind" commuter with a single punch has been jailed for eight years. Rakeem Miles, 23, callously attacked Samuel Winter, 28, after he accidentally bumped into him on an escalator at Southwark underground station. 2 The tragedy, on August 22, was sparked at around 9.30pm when both men were travelling eastbound on the Jubilee line. In a completely unprovoked assault, Miles followed Samuel through the barriers, grabbed him and ripped his top. The 23-year-old then knocked the AI engineer to the floor with one punch to the head. He cowardly ran from the scene, leaving Samuel collapsed on the stairs, before emergency services arrived. Paramedics performed CPR and rushed the young man to hospital, where he was treated for a critical brain injury. He died two days later, surrounded by his family. British Transport Police officers located Miles by tracking his Oyster card and detained him at a shop near the station a day after the attack. Cops said Miles had given no thought to Samuel after the beating, "continuing on with his evening" as if nothing had happened. Miles, of East Street, Southwark, showed "no remorse" when he appeared at Inner London Crown Court. He denied but was convicted of manslaughter and Judge Benedict Kelleher sentenced him to eight years behind bars. Miles will also be subject to an extended licence period of five years. But the killer will be eligible for parole in less than five and a half years. In a heartbreaking tribute, the victim's family said: "Sam was a very much-loved son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew and friend. "We are devastated his life here has ended. He was a qualified physiotherapist, AI engineer and a volunteer with several charities. "His family and friends will remember him as gentle and kind, quick-witted and funny, with deep faith and an unendingly giving spirit." Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell added: "Though nothing can bring Samuel back, I hope today's sentencing allows his family some small measure of comfort as they continue to grieve for him. "Samuel's family described him as gentle and kind, and he will be sorely missed by all those who love him. "We reiterate our requests to give the family privacy at such a difficult time. "It only took one punch from Miles to end Samuel's life and forever change the lives of those around him. "He showed no remorse for his action, leaving Samuel at the station and continuing on with his evening. "The quick-time and thorough investigation by the teams involved meant Miles was identified and apprehended quickly. "There is zero tolerance for violence on the railway and I'd like to thank my team for their hard work and determination to secure justice for Samuel's family."
