Lee Rigby killers have no defence to murder charge, judge tells jury Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale admit killing Lee Rigby in May But they deny murder on the basis they were 'soldiers of Allah' Justice Sweeney says argument does not 'amount to a defence' Prosecution say 'What these two men did is indefensible in the law' Defence tell the jury they 'genuinely have a choice' to acquit suspects Men no longer face charges of conspiracy to murder a police officer Two Muslim converts who hacked soldier Lee Rigby to death in the street have no defence to the charge of murder, the Old Bailey heard today. The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, told jurors that nothing Michael Adebolajo, 28, said in evidence about the killing of the 25 year-old soldier 'amounts in law to a defence to this count'. But defence counsel for both Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale can argue that the prosecution have failed to prove any of the elements of murder, he added. Final statements: As the trial of the men accused of murdering Lee Rigby draws to a close, Justice Sweeney, left, told jurors to dismiss Michael Adebolajo's, right, defence that he was a 'soldier of Allah' Bereaved: Relatives of murdered fusilier Lee Rigby (left to right) stepfather Ian Rigby, mother Lyn Rigby, sister Sara McLure and fiancée Aimee West, who have attended every day of the trial Victim: The alleged murderers of Lee Rigby cut his throat because it was 'humane' and carried it out because they were 'at war', a court has heard Adebolajo has told the court he loved Al Qaeda and wanted to change British foreign policy by killing the 25 year-old Fusilier. Message to jury: Justice Sweeney (pictured) told the court: 'I have ruled that nothing he [Adebolajo] said in evidence, such as he was a soldier of Allah, amounts to a law to a defence to this count' He added: 'I am a soldier. This is war. Adebowale, 22, did not give evidence in his defence. Jurors returned to court today for the closing speeches in the case from prosecution and defence barristers. Mr Justice Sweeney told them: 'I have ruled that nothing he [Adebolajo] said in evidence, such as he was a soldier of Allah, amounts to a law to a defence to this count. That said the onus remains on the prosecution to prove, so that you feel sure, the required elements of that offence against each defendant. It remains open to defence counsel to argue in their speeches in relation to count one [murder] that the prosecution have failed to prove one or more of these elements. The judge also told the jury they did not have to reach a verdict on the second charge of conspiracy to murder as this was dealt with by the attempted murder charges. He added: 'Neither side will suffer any disadvantage as a result of its removal so for good reason I am going to discharge you from any further consideration of count two and it will play no part in my directions of law to you in due course.' Drummer Rigby's family were again there to hear the evidence. Beginning his closing speech, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said that after he was run over, according to Adebolajo: 'Lee Rigby was slain by a mujahideen who struck his neck with a sharp instrument and sawed until his head almost became detached. Gunfire: The armed officers shot Adebowale, right, and Adebolajo, left on the floor after they hacked to death their victim in a Woolwich street That is how he viewed the first part of his actions. It will be for you to decide the evidence in this case and to consider his acceptance that both he and his co-defendant are responsible for killing Lee Rigby. He denies murder and he does not accept the barbarous reality of what they did and the intimidation of the public and all those present. Mr Whittam added: 'Islam, one of the world's great religions, is not on trial and nor could it be.' Father-of-one Mr Rigby, a father-of-one from Middleton, Rochdale, Lancashire, was a member of the Corps of Drums in the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment. He was knocked over by a Vauxhall Tigra driven by Adebolajo and Adebowale as he crossed the road near Woolwich Barracks in south London on 22 May this year. Adebolajo then attempted to decapitate the soldier while Adebowale stabbed him in the torso before the pair dragged his mutilated body into the middle of the road. Both men were shot by armed police at the scene. In his closing speech, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said 'Islam, one of the world's great religions, is not on trial.' Recounting the events of May 22 and the prosecution's case, Mr Whittam showed the jury once again images of bloodied knives, and also replayed the video clip in which Fusilier Rigby is seen being hit by a Vauxhall Tigra. 'What was the consequence of driving into Lee Rigby?' asked Mr Whittam. The consequence was it broke his back. Background: Adebolajo, 28, pictured in a police interview, was brought up as a Christian but became a Muslim when a student at Greenwich University Replaying a video clip showing Fusilier Rigby being dragged into the road, Mr Whittam said: 'Is this a humane killing? Is this a killing with an attempt to decapitate and then deposit the body in the middle of the road causing traffic to stop and turn around? Mr Whittam recalled witness accounts previously read to the jury as well as extracts from a note handed to Amanda Donnelly-Martin at the scene. 'You will have to consider if that's a suicide note,' he said. 'Note that it contains the phrase 'If I live beyond this day'. What was the purpose of what they have done, killing Lee Rigby in the way the had done, in putting the body there and staying at the scene? To borrow a phrase from the first defendant - carnage. Mr Whittam turned to the charge of attempted murder of a police officer and described the defendants' actions when police arrived at the scene. He told the jury not to be 'seduced by suggestions that the sole objective was to commit suicide'. Describing Adebolajo's movement, the prosecutor said: 'He had a meat cleaver, a weapon that needed to have direct contact. He raised the weapon above his head and got very close to the vehicle. Describing Adebowale's movement, he said: 'Did he run straight at the vehicle to be caught? He ran along the wall. To draw fire. Whittam said: 'What these two men did, crashing their car and breaking the back of Lee Rigby and then killing him is indefensible in the law of this country.' He went on: 'Killing to make a political point, to frighten the public, to put pressure on the Government or as an expression of anger is murder and remains murder whether the government in question is a good one, a bad one, or a dreadful one.' 'Brutal': The two men accused of the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby, Michael Adebolajo (right) and Michael Adebowale (second right) hacked at Lee Rigby like 'he was a tree', witnesses said David Gottlieb, for Adebolajo, quoted from a poem by First World War poet Edmund Blunden, called Report On Experience, and told the jury that religion had been a 'red herring' in the case. He went on: 'All deaths outside of lawful deaths are cruel, needless and unnecessary. 'Do you think really that this is the cruellest, most sadistic, most callous, most cowardly killing that's ever occurred in our nation's history? It isn't.' Mr Gottlieb suggested that rather than murder, the proper charge for Adebolajo would have been 'treason, terrorism, or maybe manslaughter' - but later corrected himself by telling the jury that this has no legal basis as a defence. Tragedy: Drummer Lee Rigby relaxing on leave from the Army in the year before his death, which was described in detail today The defending barrister also suggested that Adebolajo was 'the most law-abiding terrorist in the history of this country' as his client paid for a parking ticket moments before the alleged murder took place. Mr Gottlieb told the jury that they 'genuinely have a choice' to acquit his client, and that they will be under pressure 'from outside, from the mob, from the world, to convict'. Turning to the attempted murder charge, he said it is 'possibly the most ridiculous charge ever put before a judge and jury in the history of this country'. Mr Gottlieb told the jury that there were unarmed police near the scene, but Adebolajo chose to wait for armed teams, which would not fit with an intention to kill an officer. He had also underlined passages about martyrdom in documents found by police. The barrister went on to tell the panel of eight women and four men that the issue of what motivated Adebolajo 'raises awkward questions' for the UK's political leaders. He said: 'A person, a human being, can do the most evil act in the world and not actually be evil themselves.' The barrister went on: 'All I'm asking on behalf of my client is that you try this case according to the same standards that you would for anybody else.' Adebowale, also known as Ismail Ibn Abdullah, of Greenwich, and Adebolajo, also known as Mujaahid Abu Hamza, of Lewisham, both deny murder and attempted murder of police officers. The trial was adjourned to tomorrow.