De Menezes Inquest: C12 was "Consumed by a Desire to 'Get Rid of This Man'" - QC Claims

by Christina 123 | October 27, 2008 at 10:31 am

83 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

THE armed undercover police officer, code named C12, who shot dead Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell tube station after the "July 7th" tube and bus bombings was today accused of "gross exaggeration" in his depiction of events leading up to the tragedy, in which the 27 year-old Brazilian was shot seven times in the temple at close range. QC Michael Mansfield, representing the dead man's family also suggested that "Charlie 12" was consumed by a desire to "Get rid of this man".

"Charlie 12" claimed in the witness box today that he shouted a warning, but none of the other six officers who were within yards of him heard him, the inquest heard.

The inquest continues.

The officer, codenamed C12, claimed he shouted "armed police" and only opened fire after Mr de Menezes moved towards him looking like he was about to blow himself up.

But none of six other police officers who were within yards of the shooting heard the marksman issue any warning, an inquest heard.

Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot dead inside Stockwell Tube station in south London on July 22, 2005 after being mistaken for Hussain Osman, one of four would-be suicide bombers who had tried and failed to blow themselves up on the city's transport network the previous day.

C12 admitted that a series of errors and mistaken "assumptions" led to the shooting and that he himself had been in a position to detain Mr de Menezes before he got into the station.

He described sitting in an unmarked car within "striking distance", less than 100 metres away, when Mr de Menezes got off a bus near the station entrance.

But he failed to receive a series of instructions from commanders because radio communications were "awful".

His superiors did not even know he was there and he had failed to tell them, the inquest heard.

C12 said: "Why I did not tell them where I was I just cannot tell you. I was trying to listen to the radio, I had a lot going on, and if that is an error then I apologise for it."

The officer said he did not have with him a picture of the suspect and he didn't know definitely what he looked like.

He also didn't know that surveillance officers had already gone in to the Tube or where they were.

He had picked up snippets of information from his malfunctioning radio and by mobile phone from colleagues.

One of those was that firearms units were "moving though" and that indicated to him that the suspect had been positively identified as a suspected suicide bomber, he said.

But Michael Mansfield QC, representing the De Menezes family, said no surveillance officer could remember saying that and there was no record of it.

He said C12 had made a series of "assumptions" which led to him being consumed by a desire to "get rid of this man".

Mr Mansfield suggested that C12 was "not in control," when he ran in to the station and on to a train.

He suggested that when a surveillance officer pointed to the suspect C12 had made no assessment of the threat he posed before firing at his head