A hero barrister stepped in to break up a mass brawl at the Old Bailey yesterday when he realised the intruder was attacking a woman police officer, MailOnline can reveal.

A friend told how Oliver Glasgow QC calmly grabbed the man as he leapt from the public gallery and into the courtroom as a gang of drill rappers were jailed for 116 years for murdering a rival.

Former GB athlete Mr Glasgow, who prosecuted the Lee Rigby killers and represented Britain at the Duathlon World Championships, helped restrain him with the help of three police officers.

The man yelled 'I will murder you' to Mr Glasgow and those holding him down before he was bundled out of the court and handcuffed in the corridor outside. Mr Glasgow remaining calm and told concerned onlookers 'I am fine,' when asked how he was.

A source told MailOnline: 'Who knows what might have happened if he hadn't intervened and helped restrain the man,' said the source.

'He had to think very quickly and three police officers were also involved. It was a very violent episode.'

They added: 'Oli is very fit and strong - he cycles to the Old Bailey - and he wasn't putting up with the woman being hurt.'

Mr Glasgow's barrister father also paid tribute to his son's bravery – and joked he takes after his mother in not putting up with 'boisterous' behaviour.

With the help of three police officers, Oliver Glasgow QC rushed over to restrain a man who jumped from the public gallery while objects were hurled in to the Old Bailey court room

Edwin Glasgow, QC, said: 'In 50 years I have made it a rule never to talk to the media.

'But I am prepared to say is that I am immensely proud of my son. He takes after his mother in not tolerating boisterous behaviour.'

Mr Glasgow declined to discuss the incident today and would only say: ‘Please don’t make me out to be a hero.’

The Old Bailey went into lockdown after the incident as three City of London police vans carrying up to 30 officers, including dogs, were called to the scene.

The melee erupted as the judge handed down jail terms for the murderers of Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, which enraged supporters of the killers, who started shouting abuse.

An umbrella and a seat from the dock were thrown across the court and the defendants Tyrell Graham, 18, Sheareem Cookhorn, 21, and 17-year-olds Jayden O'Neil-Crichlow, Shane Lyons, and Ojay Hamilton began fighting in the dock as they were led out of court.

Glasgow (pictured) is one of Britain's leading criminal barristers. He was called to the Bar from the Middle Temple in 1995 and was made a QC in 2016

Mr Glasgow's barrister father Edwin Glasgow also paid tribute to his son's bravery – and joked he takes after his mother in not putting up with 'boisterous' behaviour

Mr Glasgow was the prosecutor in their trial. They were found guilty of murdering Gabbidon-Lynck who was stabbed to death in February last year. He was cornered by members of a north London gang called the NPK and murdered in front of terrified bystanders near the Vue cinema complex.

Mr Glasgow is one of Britain's leading criminal barristers.

In December 2013 he prosecuted in the case of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, 22, who were convicted of murdering Lee Rigby as he walked to his military barracks in Woolwich, south London.

In 2014 he was involved in the trial of former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce, who were each jailed for eight months after they were convicted of perverting the course of justice when she took speeding points for her then-husband in 2003.

The speeding points scandal brought about the end of Mr Huhne's political career, forcing him to stand down as a cabinet minister and later to resign as an MP.

Prosecutor Glasgow, 48, once represented Great Britain at the Duathlon World Championships and prosecuted in the trial of the Lee Rigby killers

Victim Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck was stabbed to death at a hair salon in Wood Green, north London, last year

In 2015 Glasgow prosecuted Constance Briscote, a barrister and part time judge who was imprisoned for perverting the course of justice. She was found guilty of lying to police on behalf of Pryce during the investigation into speeding points-swapping by the couple.

Recently Glasgow acted for the prosecution over the death of 14-year-old Jaden Moodie, who was knocked off a moped and then stabbed to death by a rival gang last January.

And in September last year he acted as prosecutor in the trial of Kirill Belorusov, who was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend Laureline Garcia-Bertaux, who he strangled and buried in a flower bed at her south-west London home.

In January 2017 Glasgow acted for the Ministry of Defence in a Court Martial review. He advised the MoD and the Security Services in the case of the Alexander Blackman, convicted of murdering a wounded Taliban fighter in November 2013.

A CCTV image of the gang members cycling before the attack. Five defendants who murdered a rival with swords were jailed for a total of 116 years at the Old Bailey today

Blackman, known as Marine A, was released in 2017 after his sentence was reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Glasgow was called to the Bar from the Middle Temple in 1995 and was made a QC in 2016. He is an accomplished athlete competing for Britain in the male 35-39 age group duathlon world championships in Hungary, in 2007.

He finished 12th with a time of 1hr 44mins. The duathlon is a 10k run, a 40k bike ride and another 5k run.

Glasgow is also a trustee of the Kalisher Trust, a legal charity which helps young people who want to become criminal barristers.

Victim Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, was stabbed to death at a hair salon in Wood Green, north London, last year.

Sheareem Cookhorn (right) was jailed for a minimum of 28 years and Tyrell Graham (left) was sentences to 25 years in prison at the Old Bailey today

The 19-year-old was cornered by members of a north London gang called the NPK and murdered in front of terrified customers at the Coffee and Cream Hairdressers in Wood Green.

His friend, 20-year-old Jason Fraser, was stabbed eight times and shot once but survived the attack on February 22 last year, the Old Bailey heard.

Both victims had links to a Wood Green-based gang called WGM.

Jailing the gang today Judge Richard Foster said: 'The facts of this case are as shocking as they are futile. The public need to know the consequences of this sort of behaviour.'

He added: 'A disturbing feature of this case is the use of rap music to antagonise others and glorify your conduct. This was a planned and premeditated mission.

'Your actions terrified innocent members of the public going about their business on a Friday evening. The murder was witnessed by a four year old and the owner of the salon was too traumatised to give evidence nine months later.'

The five killers were each given life sentences; Cookhorn was jailed for a minimum of 28 years, Graham for 25 years, O'Neill Crichlow, Lyons and Hamilton were each locked up for a minimum of 21 years.

The scene of the attack in Wood Green, north London, where Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck and his friend Jason Fraser were attacked

Mr Glasgow told the court: 'Life, it would appear, has little value to them and is something to be taken away for almost no reason and then to be the subject of cruel and offensive bragging.'

The killers arrived covering their faces on bicycles and soon spotted Mr Gabbindon-Lynck and Mr Fraser walked towards them, with two others.

Both groups brandished their weapons and ran at each other.

When one of the NPK gang members fired his handgun, Mr Gabbindon-Lynck and his group fled.

Mr Glasgow told the court: 'The rivalry between these two groups has been a violent and bloody one, with each gang carrying out attacks on their rivals and then boasting about it online.

'These defendants have even boasted about the death of Mr Gabbindon-Lynck in rap lyrics.'

Quoting the lyrics he said: 'The NPK got their Rambos out. They were wiping Wood Green off the map.'

Mr Fraser, who survived the attack, told the jury: 'I could just hear screaming from the hair shop.'

Ojay Hamilton (left) and Shane Lyons (right) were each locked up for a minimum of 21 years

The 20-year-old relived in court his trip to the hospital where a 'pellet' remained in his leg despite medical treatment.

Giving evidence, Cookhorn refused to rule out that a fellow gang member had been the gunman instead of him despite the claim 'defying the laws of physics'.

During the trial the drill lyrics blamed for glorifying knife crime were described as no more violent than the songs of the Beatles, a court heard.

John Cooper, defending one of the 17-year-olds, had slammed the case against him as a 'cosy, clean, Midsomer Murders style' treatment of the facts.

He quoted John Lennon and Mick Jagger and claimed drill music was nothing more than a 'red herring' in cases of gang violence.

Mr Cooper then quoted the Beatles lyric from Run For Your Life: 'I'd rather see you dead little girl than be with another man.

'This is not a drill artist - this is Paul McCartney and John Lennon from The Beatles.

Jayden O'Neill-Crichlow, 17, was jailed for a minimum of 21 years

'It is an utter, utter red herring. It's not simply the domain of drill. Drill might not be our cup of tea.

'But it is as indicative of violence as Paul McCartney and John Lennon.'

Graham, of Leyton, Cookhorn from Tottenham, O'Neill-Critchlow, Lyons and Hamilton, all from north London, denied murder but were convicted.

The three 17-year-olds were cleared of attempted murder but convicted of wounding with intent.

Cookhorn also denied possession of handgun with intent to endanger life and one of the 17-year-olds denied possession of a knife, but both were convicted.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Stancombe, of Specialist Crime North, said: 'So desperate were the defendants to continue their petty postcode rivalry, the gang launched their gun and knife attack outside a busy cinema and several restaurants packed with people and children enjoying their Friday night.

'Having chased down Kamali and his friend like a pack of animals they set about them with a ferocity I have rarely seen.

'Not content with the damage they had caused that night they then boasted about their murderous exploits in amateurish drill videos.

'In truth, there are no winners, no bragging rights or anything to be proud of. One man is dead, another has life changing injuries, a family is utterly bereft and five young men will spend the best days of their lives behind bars.

The fight broke out at the Old Bailey (pictured in a file image) as five defendants were sentenced over a gangland murder

'If you are caught up in a gang, or you know someone who is, please take advantage of the support services and diversion schemes available to you - before it's too late. Visit the charity website, Fearless.org.

'They are independent from police. They offer advice on where to get support, and will let you pass on information about crime 100 per cent anonymously.'

Catherine Gould, from the CPS, described the group as 'very dangerous young criminals'.

She said: 'This is a tragic case of gang rivalry. A teenager lost his life that night, stabbed to death in a busy hair salon, and another was seriously injured by defendants who showed a brazen disregard for members of the local community, running through the streets of Wood Green brandishing their weapons.

'Throughout all of this, it must not be forgotten that were it not for the actions of Mr Gabbidon-Lynck, his friend may well have lost his life too.

'The defendants clearly thought their covered faces and dark clothes would protect them from being identified.

'When one of the defendants was stopped by police nearby, he even had the audacity to tell officers that he hoped they would cut down on knife crime, just after he had stabbed someone to death.

'These sentences take some very dangerous young criminals off the streets of the capital. Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Gabbidon-Lynck.'