Jean Charles de Menezes inquest: officer admits changing evidence

by Dave Keating | October 14, 2008 at 02:29 am

158 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

Some damaging testimony came today in the UK inquest into the shooting death of a Brazilian man in London last year. The man was shot because he was mistaken for a terrorist in the London tube system, but he was completely innocent. The met was greatly criticized for its handling of the operation. The testimony today shows that the police knew that the man was not carrying anything that could be a bomb when they shot him.

The surveillance officer deleted parts of his computerised notes which suggested Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick said the Brazilian electrician should be allowed to get on a Tube train at Stockwell station because he was "not carrying anything".

Miss Dick had previously said she believed Mr de Menezes posed a "great threat". The surveillance officer, known only as Owen, said he deleted parts of his computerised notes on Oct 7 – two weeks into the inquest – because he believed they gave a "totally false impression".

His disclosure at the inquest prompted the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to launch an investigation. Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, described the admission as a "very serious matter".