Monday, November 05, 2007

London Metropolitan Police Found Guilty in Civil Suit Over the Execution of Charles DeMenezes



















De Menezes: London police guilty

Thu, 01 Nov 2007

London's Metropolitan Police force was convicted Thursday of breaching health and safety laws in the fatal shooting of a Brazilian in 2005 who officers mistook for a suicide bomber.

Jean Charles de Menezes was shot seven times in the head at a London Underground train station two weeks after 52 people were killed in a series of attacks on the city's public transport system.

His death came the day after another attempted attack was foiled. Police thought de Menezes was one of the plotters, Hussain Osman, who was jailed for life earlier this year.

Shortly after the verdict, Len Duvall, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority which oversees the force, announced a review of how police handled the situation and expressed full support for police chief Ian Blair.

He said the incident highlighted "operational and communication processes which proved to be inadequate when Londoners' lives were put under threat of terrorist attack."

Last year, British prosecutors ruled out bringing criminal charges against the officers who shot the electrician, citing "insufficient evidence."

That decision prompted outrage from the de Menezes family and their supporters, who accused the police of trying to cover up their mistake, while the Brazilian government also expressed its disappointment.

The Metropolitan Police had denied breaching health and safety laws during the month-long trial at London's Central Criminal Court. It now faces an unlimited fine.

AFP

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