David Copeland: Where is the London nail bomber now?

In April 1999, David Copeland set off three nail bombs in London in 13 days. He targeted the Black community in Brixton, the Bangladeshi community on Brick Lane and the gay community in Soho, killing three people and injuring 140. Surviving the London Nail Bombings, a new film on Prime Video, tells it through the people who were there.

It’s out on Tuesday 17 November. Here’s what happened in those two weeks, who David Copeland is, how he was caught, and where he is now.

What is Surviving the London Nail Bombings?

Surviving the London Nail Bombings is a feature-length documentary about David Copeland’s three bomb attacks in London in April 1999. It’s on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland from Tuesday 17 November.

It is told mainly through the memories of people who were there, alongside archive news reports, CCTV and pictures taken by a photographer who happened to be nearby, according to Televisual. Prime Video bills it as the definitive eyewitness account of the deadliest far-right attack on British soil.

The film is directed by Tom Peppiatt and made by Yeti Television, a Welsh production company, with Sphere Abacus handling distribution, according to Sphere Abacus.

Who is David Copeland?

David James Copeland is the neo-Nazi behind the 1999 London nail bombings. He was born on 15 May 1976, so he was 22 at the time and is 50 now, and he worked as an engineer’s assistant on the London Underground.

He had been a member of the British National Party before moving to the National Socialist Movement, a smaller neo-Nazi group, where he became its southern regional organiser in early 1999, according to the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight. He told police his aim was to spread fear and start a race war. His full name, date of birth and job are from the record of the case.

What happened in the 1999 London nail bombings?

Over 13 days in April 1999, David Copeland left homemade nail bombs in three parts of London. The last one, in the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, killed three people. In total, 140 people were injured.

1. Sat 17 Apr
   Brixton, south LondonThe first bomb went off on Electric Avenue, by Brixton Market, at about 5.25 pm. It injured 48 people.
2. Sat 24 Apr
   Brick Lane, east LondonA man found the bag in the street and put it in the boot of his car to take to the police. It exploded outside 42 Brick Lane, injuring 13 people.
3. Fri 30 Apr
   Admiral Duncan, SohoAt about 6.37 pm, the third bomb went off in the busy gay pub on Old Compton Street. Three people were killed and 79 injured, and four survivors lost limbs.

Times and casualty figures from the record of the case on Wikipedia.

Who died in the Admiral Duncan bombing?

Three people died in the Admiral Duncan bombing in Soho on 30 April 1999: Andrea Dykes, 27, John Light, 32, and Nik Moore, 31.

Andrea Dykes was four months pregnant. She was in the pub with her husband, Julian, who was among the seriously injured, and John Light had been the best man at their wedding, PinkNews reported. A memorial was held at the pub on this year’s anniversary to remember them.

How was David Copeland caught?

Police released CCTV of a man carrying a sports bag in Brixton on 29 April 1999. A workmate recognised him and called police, but Copeland set off his third bomb the next evening. He was arrested that night at the rented room in Hampshire where he was living.

He was also recognised by an informant for Searchlight inside the British National Party, who saw the CCTV image on television and in a newspaper, the magazine says. Police found his room decorated like a Nazi shrine, along with bomb-making equipment. He was charged with murder on 2 May.

What sentence did David Copeland get?

David Copeland got six life sentences at the Old Bailey in June 2000 for three murders and the bombings. In 2007, the High Court ruled he must serve at least 50 years.

1. 2000Pleads guilty to causing the explosions and admits manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but denies murder. The jury convicts him of all three murders in June.
2. 2007Mr Justice Burton sets a minimum term of 50 years.
3. 2011The Court of Appeal throws out his challenge to the 50 years.
4. 2049The earliest he can be considered for release, when he will be 73.

Copeland was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but the Court of Appeal found it did not reduce his responsibility for the attacks, which it said were carefully planned and driven by racial and sexual prejudice, according to the 2011 judgment.

Where is David Copeland now, and which prison is he in?

David Copeland, now 50, is still in prison, serving his life sentences. He can’t be considered for release before 2049, and which prison he is in has not been officially confirmed.

The most recent court case involving him places him at HMP Belmarsh in south east London. In June 2014 he attacked a fellow prisoner there with a toothbrush fitted with razor blades, and in October 2015 he was given another three years at Woolwich Crown Court, PinkNews reported.

Several websites say he is now at HMP Frankland in County Durham, but none of them gives a source, so treat that as unconfirmed. The Sun has also reported that he converted to Islam in prison.

Is it the same as Nail Bomber: Manhunt on Netflix?

No. Nail Bomber: Manhunt is a different documentary about the hunt for Copeland, released on Netflix in 2021. Surviving the London Nail Bombings is a new 2026 film built around the survivors.

If you have watched the Netflix film, the new one tells the same two weeks from the other side: the people in Brixton, Brick Lane and the Admiral Duncan whose lives were changed by it.

How can you watch Surviving the London Nail Bombings?

Surviving the London Nail Bombings is on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland from Tuesday 17 November. You’ll need a Prime Video subscription to watch it.

The release date is from Amazon’s November Prime Video listings.