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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Menezes officer 'did not deceive' | Menezes officer 'did not deceive' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A police officer who admitted altering his notes about the death of Jean Charles de Menezes has been cleared following an inquiry. | |
| The Special Branch officer deleted text from his computer note before speaking to the inquest in October last year. | The Special Branch officer deleted text from his computer note before speaking to the inquest in October last year. |
| The Independent Police Complaints Commission said he was not guilty of "deliberate deception". | The Independent Police Complaints Commission said he was not guilty of "deliberate deception". |
| Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot dead by police at Stockwell Tube station in south London in July 2005. | Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot dead by police at Stockwell Tube station in south London in July 2005. |
| The IPCC said the officer, known as "Owen", had acted naively, but found no evidence of deliberate deception. | The IPCC said the officer, known as "Owen", had acted naively, but found no evidence of deliberate deception. |
| Last October, the officer told the inquest he deleted a line from computer notes which quoted Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick. | Last October, the officer told the inquest he deleted a line from computer notes which quoted Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick. |
| 'Acted alone' | 'Acted alone' |
| The note had originally claimed Dick had initially said the electrician could "run onto Tube as not carrying anything". | The note had originally claimed Dick had initially said the electrician could "run onto Tube as not carrying anything". |
| But at the inquest he said: "On reflection, I looked at that and thought 'I cannot actually say that.'" | But at the inquest he said: "On reflection, I looked at that and thought 'I cannot actually say that.'" |
| The officer, a supervisor in the operations room at Scotland Yard, told the court he had removed the line because he believed it was "wrong and gave a totally false impression." | The officer, a supervisor in the operations room at Scotland Yard, told the court he had removed the line because he believed it was "wrong and gave a totally false impression." |
| The IPCC found Owen "acted alone" in failing to disclose the note and then deleting it. | The IPCC found Owen "acted alone" in failing to disclose the note and then deleting it. |
| Its report concluded the officer had shown a "lack of understanding" of how he should behave, but had not committed an offence. | Its report concluded the officer had shown a "lack of understanding" of how he should behave, but had not committed an offence. |
| This latest decision is one of a long line of IPCC decisions which have led every police officer involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes off scot-free Yasmin KhanJustice for Jean | This latest decision is one of a long line of IPCC decisions which have led every police officer involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes off scot-free Yasmin KhanJustice for Jean |
| It found: "There was no evidence of deliberate deception in this instance by the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] as a whole or any individual within it." | It found: "There was no evidence of deliberate deception in this instance by the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] as a whole or any individual within it." |
| The report said the officer's role on 22 July 22 was "peripheral" and he had a "limited" understanding of what was being discussed. | The report said the officer's role on 22 July 22 was "peripheral" and he had a "limited" understanding of what was being discussed. |
| IPCC deputy chairman Deborah Glass said the officer had been "consistent" in his explanation both to the inquest and to the IPCC over why he deleted the note. | IPCC deputy chairman Deborah Glass said the officer had been "consistent" in his explanation both to the inquest and to the IPCC over why he deleted the note. |
| Yasmin Khan, spokeswoman for the Justice4Jean campaign, accused the IPCC of failing to hold police officers to account. | Yasmin Khan, spokeswoman for the Justice4Jean campaign, accused the IPCC of failing to hold police officers to account. |
| She said: "It doesn't matter if you are a policeman fiddling notes after a shooting or a politician fiddling expenses on the sly, no-one should be above the law. | She said: "It doesn't matter if you are a policeman fiddling notes after a shooting or a politician fiddling expenses on the sly, no-one should be above the law. |
| "This latest decision is one of a long line of IPCC decisions which have led every police officer involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes off scot-free. | "This latest decision is one of a long line of IPCC decisions which have led every police officer involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes off scot-free. |
| "This weak and woefully poor excuse of a watchdog must now be overhauled and replaced with a robust body that can actually hold police officers to account." | "This weak and woefully poor excuse of a watchdog must now be overhauled and replaced with a robust body that can actually hold police officers to account." |