Open Verdict

The coroner may have prevented the Jean Charles de Menezes inquest jury from delivering the true verdict. But the answers provided by the jury to the following twelve specific questions tells us what verdict they really wanted to deliver:

1. "Did firearms officer C12 shout armed police?"
ANSWER: NO

2. "Did Mr de Menezes stand up from his seat before he was grabbed in a bear hug by officer Ivor?"
ANSWER: YES

3. "Did Mr de Menezes move towards C12 before he was grabbed in a bear hug by Ivor?"
ANSWER: NO

Contributing Factors

4. "The pressure on police after the suicide attacks in July 2005."
ANSWER: CANNOT DECIDE

5. "A failure to obtain and provide better photographic images of failed bomber Hussain Osman to surveillance officers."
ANSWER: YES

6. The general difficulty in providing identification of the man under surveillance in the time available."
ANSWER: NO

7. "The fact that the views of the surveillance officers regarding identification were not accurately communicated to the command team and firearms officers.
ANSWER: YES

8. "A failure by police to ensure that Mr de Menezes was stopped before he reached public transport."
ANSWER: YES

9. "The innocent behaviour of Mr de Menezes increasing suspicion."
ANSWER: NO

10. "The fact that the position of the cars containing the firearms officers was not accurately known by the command team as firearms teams were approaching Stockwell Tube."
ANSWER: YES

11. "Shortcomings in the communications system between various police teams on the ground."
ANSWER: YES

12. "Failure to conclude at the time that surveillance officers could have been used to carry out the stop on Mr de Menezes at Stockwell."
ANSWER: YES

The death of Jean Charles was not a lawful killing. The actions of the police after the killing is proof.

• The police destroyed CCTV footage.
• The police leaked reports to the media about Jean Charles' behaviour on that fateful day, such as that he was wearing unusually baggy clothing, that he failed to respond to police challenge before entering Stockwell station and that he jumped over the ticket barrier. All of these reports were proved to be lies.
• The Police officers involved were allowed collude in giving their (false) statements.
• The police started a smear campaign about Jean Charles, such as that he raped a woman. Again, all of these smears were also proved to be lies.

The death of Jean Charles was unlawful killing. Jean Charles was murdered by the Metropolitan Police.

The apologists for Jean Charles' murder argue that since the police believed that they were confronting a man bent of mass murder they acted correctly. Indeed, if a similar situation were to rise again the police should do the same. I for one cannot accept that.

Has human civilisation reached so far that a person cannot leave their home knowing that they won't be pinned to ground by three burly policemen and shot eight times a point blank range using hollow point bullets? If this is the case then the terrorists have won.