Update: 17 Aug 2005
Leak disputes Menezes death
story
Leaked documents appear to contradict the official account
of how police mistook a Brazilian man for a suicide bomber and shot
him.
The documents, from the probe into the death of Jean Charles de
Menezes and leaked to ITV news, suggest the he was restrained
before shot by officers.
Mr de Menezes was killed at Stockwell Tube station on 22
July.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has said it
will not comment on its investigation.
Public inquiry
The documents, including witness statements, also suggest Mr de
Menezes did not hurdle the barrier at Stockwell tube station, as
first reports previously suggested, and was not wearing a padded
jacket that could have concealed a bomb.
The family of Mr de Menezes has called for a public inquiry into
his death.
His cousin Allessandro Pereira said: "My family deserve the full
truth about his murder. The truth cannot be hidden any longer. It
has to be made public."
In a statement, the IPCC said it does not know where the documents
came from and that its priority was to keep Mr de Menezes family
informed.
'Acting suspiciously'
The shooting occurred the day after the failed bomb attacks of 21
July.
The latest documents suggest Mr de Menezes had walked into
Stockwell Tube station, picked up a free newspaper, walked through
ticket barriers, had started to run when he saw a train arriving
and was sitting down in a train when he was shot.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, police said Mr de
Menezes had been acting suspiciously and suggested he had vaulted
the ticket barriers.
Police also said the Brazilian electrician had worn a large
winter-style coat - but the leaked version suggested he had in fact
worn a denim jacket.
The leaked version said Mr de Menezes was being restrained by a
community officer when he was shot by armed police.
'High security'
The IPCC would not comment on the details of the leak.
The commission said the family "will clearly be distressed that
they have received information on television concerning his
death".
Its statement added: "The IPCC made it clear that we would not
speculate or release partial information about the investigation,
and that others should not do so. That remains the case."
The commission said it operated a "very high degree of security" on
all of its investigations.
'Great embarrassment'
Harriet Wistrich, solicitor for the family of Mr de Mendes, said
the information the leaked documents contained was
"terrifying".
"What sort of society are we living in where we can execute
suspects?" she said.
"First of all it tells us that the information that was first put
out, which was first reported in the news, is almost entirely wrong
and misleading.
"There was no suggestion that this person was a suspect in any way,
that he was running from the police".
She said it also suggested the information given to the pathologist
who carried out the post-mortem examination on Mr de Mendez was
incorrect.
Former Flying Squad commander John O'Connor told the BBC the leaked
report would cause "great embarrassment" to Metropolitan Police
Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, adding he would be under pressure to
"go".
He also said it was "very difficult" to blame individuals for the
death of Mr de Menezes.
"Simply because it would appear that they were acting on
information that this was a positive identification of Osman
[Hussain], one of the suspect bombers.
"But had the normal procedures taken place in which a warning is
given and officers wear specially marked clothing then this young
man may not have been killed."
(Source: BBC News
Website)
