A man who intervened in the London Bridge terror attack on Friday was on day release from prison after murdering a 21-year-old woman in 2004.

James Ford, 42, was praised after he tried to help a woman who was being attacked by Usman Khan, 28.

Khan, who was armed with two knives and wearing a fake suicide vest, was tackled by members of the public before he was shot dead by police on London Bridge next to the Hall.

It has now emerged Ford was on day release from prison after being jailed for a minimum of 15 years for the murder of Amanda Champion.

He cut the victim’s throat and dumped her body in a waste ground close to her home in Kent in 2003.

The family of Ms Chapman, who had learning difficulties and a mental age of 15, said Ford wasn’t a hero and would never change.

Her aunt Angela Cox, 65, told the Daily Mail: “He is not a hero. He is a murderer out on day release, which us as a family didn’t know anything about.

Read more: yahoo