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Court: UK police should not be charged over de Menezes death Court: UK police should not be charged over de Menezes death
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — A European court says British authorities were right not to prosecute police officers over the killing of a Brazilian man shot on the London Underground after being mistaken for a suicide bomber LONDON — British authorities were right not to prosecute police officers over the killing of a Brazilian man who was shot dead on the London Underground after being mistaken for a suicide bomber, a European court ruled Wednesday.
The judgment by the European Court of Human Rights is a blow to relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes, who have sought for years to have police charged with his slaying. The judgment by the European Court of Human Rights is a blow to relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes, who have sought for years to have police charged with his slaying more than a decade ago.
Police shot the 27-year-old electrician on July 22, 2005, as they hunted attackers behind failed bomb attacks on the subway a day before. Two weeks earlier, suicide bombers had killed 52 commuters on London’s transit system. A marksman shot the 27-year-old electrician on July 22, 2005, as they hunted attackers behind failed bombing attempts on the subway a day before. Two weeks earlier, on July 7, four suicide bombers had killed 52 commuters on London’s transit system.
The Strasbourg, France-based court ruled Wednesday that authorities had held a thorough inquiry into the shooting and “concluded that there was insufficient evidence against any individual officer to prosecute.” The Brazilian was on his way to work when he was shot seven times at close range by police who followed him onto a subway car. The two officers who shot him testified at an inquest that they believed de Menezes was one of the failed bombers.
Prosecutors decided not to charge any police officers, although the Metropolitan Police force was convicted of health and safety violations and fined for endangering the public’s safety during the shooting.
Wednesday’s ruling comes more than eight years after de Menezes’ cousin, Patricia Armani Da Silva, appealed to the Strasbourg, France-based European court.
Lawyers for the family argued that authorities had failed in their obligations under European human rights rules to conduct an “effective investigation” capable of identifying and, if appropriate, punishing those responsible for the shooting.
The court’s grand chamber, which deals with the most serious cases, said the decision not to prosecute individual officers was not due to failings in the investigation “or the state’s tolerance of or collusion in unlawful acts.”
In a 13-4 ruling, the judges said authorities had held a thorough inquiry into the shooting and “concluded that there was insufficient evidence against any individual officer to prosecute.”
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.