People's Daily Online  -- London police under fire for alleged cover-up

http://english.people.com.cn/200508/19/eng20050819_203456.html

London police under fire for alleged cover-up

Lawyers for the family of a Brazilian man killed by police who mistook him
for a suicide bomber met police watchdog officials yesterday, demanding
answers amid allegations of a police cover-up.

The lawyers' meeting with the Independent Police Complaints Commission
(IPCC), which is investigating Jean Charles de Menezes' shooting followed
news reports of leaked documents and closed circuit TV footage that called
into question initial reports about what happened.

Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head by police who tailed him to
the station the day after four bombs were carried onto London's transit
system but failed to detonate fully.

Two weeks earlier, 52 commuters had been killed by bombs on London trains
and a bus.

"This has been a chaotic mess," said lawyer Gareth Peirce, one of the
attorneys representing the Menezes family.

"One of the things we asked the IPCC to investigate is: Are there lies that
have been told? Who told them?" she said.

IPCC spokeswoman Mehmuda Mian Pritchard said the talks with the lawyers had
been useful, and that it would make further comments later.

Blair told journalists on July 22, the day of the shooting, that Menezes
failed to obey their instructions, and police said that "his clothing and
his behaviour at the station added to (police) suspicions."

But a leaked report made public by Britain's ITV television on Tuesday into
Menezes' death said Menezes was trailed by officers for more than
half-an-hour before the shooting, and no attempts were made to stop him.

The Brazilian calmly entered Stockwell tube station, picked up a free
newspaper and used his travel card to pass through the barriers, the closed
circuit footage showed.

After descending the escalator and running to catch his train, Menezes took
a seat in the carriage and was pointed out to armed police by one of at
least three surveillance officers who had followed him onto the train.

The surveillance officer says he then "heard shouting which included the
word 'police,"' ITV reported.

Menezes stood up and walked towards the surveillance officer, who tackled
Menezes and pushed him back into the seat, then "I heard a gunshot very
close to my ear and was dragged away on to the floor," the officer said.

Source: China Daily

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