An inquest into those who died in the Westminster Bridge attack has heard of the graphic and shocking scenes left by Dartford-born terrorist Khalid Masood.

Masood, born Adrian Elms, ran down four people on the bridge and stabbed a policeman outside Parliament in March last year.

He was previously married in Chatham to a woman who came from Gillingham.

The inquest, which started yesterday, SEPT 10 ruined many lives in a matter of seconds, the court heard as it began with tributes to the victims and details of their last moments.

Masood, who had converted to Islam, drove along the pavement on Westminster Bridge, killing the four, before stabbing unarmed officer, Keith Palmer, to death in the grounds of Parliament.

He was shot dead at the scene by police.

Coroner Mark Lucraft QC, said the attack had lasted less than two minutes and many lives were torn apart by the 82 seconds of 'high and terrible drama', he told the inquiry, which is being held at the Old Bailey in London.

Mr Lucraft held a minute's silence before hearing testimonials to the victims, and a colleague of PC Palmer, paid tribute to his courage.

The inquest, which is expected to last several weeks, seeks to establish the circumstances around the deaths of the four and PC Palmer.

Two of those killed by Masood's rental car, American Kurt Cochran and Romanian Andreea Cristea, were tourists visiting the capital with their partners.

Stills from CCTV footage showed Mr Cochran pushing his wife Melissa out of the way of Masood's vehicle, in what was "apparently an act of instinctive courage", the inquiry's lawyer Jonathan Hough said.

Melissa sustained serious injuries but survived, and said in a statement read by her sister Angela Stoll that her husband's 'heroic actions that fateful day, saved my life'.

In testimony from Met Police officer John Crossley, the inquiry heard Masood's car could have reached 41mph as it drove along the pavement.

Several of the victims' relatives had to leave the court while CCTV footage of the attack was played, after the coroner warned them the images were distressing.

Leslie Rhodes, a retired window cleaner, died after being dragged under Masood's vehicle for more than 30 metres, while Aysha Frade was walking with her back to the car when it knocked her under a bus.

Masood got married to a woman from Medway on September 11, 2004.

He wed Farzana Malik at the Medway Register Office when it was based in Maidstone Road, Chatham, using his birth name.

The day after the attack, which also left more than 50 people injured, it was revealed Masood was born in Dartford and later attended Huntley School for Boys in Tunbridge Wells.

He was known to police and had previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.

When he married the then 25-year-old Miss Malik, of Trinity Road, Gillingham, on the third anniversary of 9/11, he was living in Pound Hill, Crawley.

The marriage certificate states he was working as a teacher and Miss Malik was a marketing assistant.

It is understood they separated after a few months.

A separate inquiry into Masood's death will be held later.