Leak disputes Menezes death story
Leaked documents appear to contradict the official account of how police mistook a Brazilian man for a suicide bomber and shot him. The papers, from the probe into Jean Charles de Menezes' death, and leaked to ITV, suggest he was restrained before being shot eight times. Mr de Menezes, 27, was killed at Stockwell Tube station on 22 July. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has said it will not comment on its investigation. The documents, including witness statements, also suggest Mr de Menezes did not hurdle the barrier at Stockwell tube station, as first reports previously suggested, and was not wearing a padded jacket that could have concealed a bomb.
The shooting occurred the day after the failed bomb attacks of 21 July. The latest documents suggest Mr de Menezes had walked into Stockwell Tube station, picked up a free newspaper, walked through ticket barriers, had started to run when he saw a train arriving and was sitting down in a train when he was shot. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, police said Mr de Menezes had been acting suspiciously and suggested he had vaulted the ticket barriers. Police also said the Brazilian electrician had worn a large winter-style coat - but the leaked version suggested he had in fact worn a denim jacket.
Posted by: Paul Moloney 2005-08-17 |