Police tell jury of fatal shots

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An inquest has heard the chain of events that led police to shoot a man in the chest at Guildford Cathedral.

David Sycamore, 39, who lived near the cathedral, was killed in November 2008 after producing a gun on the steps.

He had left a message on his best friend's mobile phone that afternoon stating he was going to kill himself, Surrey Coroner's Court was told.

Inspector Malcolm Biles who coordinated the police response said a decision to shoot was down to individual officers.

Mr Sycamore was taking anti-depressants and had made an attempt to take his life 17 years previously, the inquest heard.

He had also told an ex-girlfriend shortly before his death that he wanted to die.

Pc Adam Patterson, who was at the Sycamore family home when the news of the death was broken to them, told how Mrs Sycamore said her son had wanted to be shot by police.

He said she was "hysterical", and that she told them: "He's done it on purpose. He's gone up there so the police would shoot him."

Bulky jacket

Mr Biles, who has since retired from Surrey Police, told the inquest the force's strategy that afternoon was to: "Minimise risk to the public, maximise the safety of armed and unarmed officers, safely detain (Mr Sycamore) and take the weapon."

Describing how events unfolded, he said he deployed the armed units at 2.56pm, nine minutes after the 999 call.

Mr Sycamore was found at 3.14pm outside the cathedral. Two minutes later, the force helicopter announced they had sight of him, sitting crossed-legged on the floor.

The intention was to neutralise the threat, not to shoot to kill Inspector Malcolm Biles

The helicopter was then asked to move back because it was too noisy, Mr Biles told the inquest.

At 3.17pm, an officer in the helicopter warned Mr Sycamore was wearing a bulky jacket that could be disguising a weapon.

Mr Biles said the next radio contact was at 3.18pm, when one of the armed units, identified as Oscar Foxtrot 41, sent out the message: "We've shot the male. We've shot the male."

He said that decision to shoot would not have come from himself or the incident commander on the ground, adding: "Each individual officer would make that decision themselves, based on the threat level."

The inquest heard the decision to shoot was only made if an officer was in "immediate danger" and that a warning was always given where possible.

Regarding police policy to aim for a subject's torso, rather than hand or foot, Mr Biles added: "The intention was to neutralise the threat, not to shoot to kill."

It was not discovered until his death that his 8mm gun could only fire blanks. The inquest was adjourned until Wednesday.