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Menezes family oppose case delay Menezes inquest will be delayed
(about 12 hours later)
The family of Jean Charles de Menezes are to challenge an attempt to delay an inquest into his death. The family of Jean Charles de Menezes have failed in their attempt to block a bid by the Director of Prosecutions to put back the inquest into his death.
The Crown Prosecution Service says the hearing should not take place until criminal proceedings against the Metropolitan Police are completed. Southwark coroner John Sampson agreed to delay the hearing until criminal proceedings against Scotland Yard over the Brazilian's death were completed.
If the request is granted, the inquest might not take place until 2008. But he said the criminal case must go to trial by magistrates this month.
The family of Mr Menezes, who officers shot dead at a Tube station in 2005, and Amnesty International have said such a delay would be unacceptable. The family of Mr Menezes, shot dead by police at a Tube station in 2005, said they would fight the decision.
The Met is being prosecuted under health and safety laws after the CPS decided that no individual officers would be charged. Long delay possible
Southwark Coroner John Sampson will hear from both the CPS and the family's lawyers before deciding on a timetable. The Metropolitan Police force is being prosecuted under health and safety laws after the Crown Prosecution Service decided no individual officers would be charged over the shooting.
No public investigation The inquest hearing was adjourned for one month to allow the case to be sent to magistrates' trial.
Mr Menezes was shot seven times on 22 July 2005 after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber at Stockwell tube station in south London. It's quite clear that justice delayed is justice denied Justice4Jean campaign
A spokesman for the Justice4Jean family campaign said: "It is appalling that a year after Jean's killing there has been no public investigation of the circumstances in which he came to die. If this had not happened by then, the matter would be reviewed, Mr Sampson indicated.
"Being kept in the dark about the specific circumstances that led to Jean's death has made it impossible for the Menezes family to grieve and move on." But, if the police plead not guilty in the magistrates court, the case could be sent for a crown court trial next year, meaning the inquest would be unlikely to be held before 2008.
UK Amnesty director Kate Allen said: "Further delays will only undermine public confidence in the investigation, and compound the distress already experienced by the de Menezes family." The de Menezes family, backed by Amnesty International, had argued that such a delay would be unacceptable.
The CPS is likely to argue that blanket media coverage of any inquest might prejudice the criminal trial. But representatives of Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald argued there was a risk of prejudice to the criminal proceedings if the inquest took place before the criminal case was resolved.
Family's anger
The de Menezes family's Justice4Jean campaign reacted to the coroner's ruling with anger.
A spokesman said: "It's quite clear that justice delayed is justice denied.
"To have to wait until 2008 for any public investigation process is quite frankly a disgrace and the family will be fighting to challenge all of these decisions to ensure the truth about what happened comes out as soon as possible."
The spokesman said the family was considering all legal options to challenge both the coroner's ruling and the earlier decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to charge any individual officers over the shooting.
This could include an application for a judicial review.
Mr de Menezes's cousin, Alex Pereira, said the family had been shown "no respect" by any of the official bodies it had dealt with since his death, adding that he was "completely sick and tired" of the process of trying to secure justice for his relative.
Mr Menezes was shot seven times on 22 July 2005 after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber at Stockwell Tube station in south London.