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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Officer weeps at Menezes hearing | Officer weeps at Menezes hearing |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A specialist firearms officer has wept at an Old Bailey court giving evidence about how officers on his team came to shoot dead Jean Charles de Menezes. | |
| The officer, for the prosecution, said that "despite the outcome I was very proud of them that day". | |
| In a statement, he also pointed out that they believed they were risking their lives at the time of the 2005 shooting at Stockwell Tube station. | |
| The Met Police denies breaking health and safety laws over the incident. | |
| It faces a single charge of exposing the public to risk. | It faces a single charge of exposing the public to risk. |
| Public protection | Public protection |
| Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head on a train at Stockwell station on 22 July 2005, after being wrongly identified as one of the 21/7 would-be bombers. | |
| Scotland Yard has been accused of making "fundamental failures" in the way it handled the operation. | Scotland Yard has been accused of making "fundamental failures" in the way it handled the operation. |
| The officer, codenamed "Ralph", was the leader of the CO19 specialist firearms team that pursued Mr de Menezes after a "state red" alert to stop him was issued. | The officer, codenamed "Ralph", was the leader of the CO19 specialist firearms team that pursued Mr de Menezes after a "state red" alert to stop him was issued. |
| He said: "The only people running down stairs to confront the man that they believed to be Hussain Osman, a known suicide bomber, were police officers from CO19 and surveillance officers as well, while everyone else was running out. | He said: "The only people running down stairs to confront the man that they believed to be Hussain Osman, a known suicide bomber, were police officers from CO19 and surveillance officers as well, while everyone else was running out. |
| Police officers followed Mr Menezes down to the platform | Police officers followed Mr Menezes down to the platform |
| "We were going forward to deal with this in order to protect the public, even though this man could have had a device on him." | "We were going forward to deal with this in order to protect the public, even though this man could have had a device on him." |
| Ronald Thwaites QC, defending, read from a statement made by the senior officer, in which he pointed out that police officers at the time believed they were risking their lives to protect the public. | Ronald Thwaites QC, defending, read from a statement made by the senior officer, in which he pointed out that police officers at the time believed they were risking their lives to protect the public. |
| The statement ended: "I hope that's not forgotten." | The statement ended: "I hope that's not forgotten." |
| When Mr Thwaites asked him how he felt about being a prosecution witness, the officer, who was giving evidence behind a screen, could not respond and was passed a box of tissues by the court usher. | When Mr Thwaites asked him how he felt about being a prosecution witness, the officer, who was giving evidence behind a screen, could not respond and was passed a box of tissues by the court usher. |
| Trial judge Mr Justice Henriques said: "I think the response speaks for itself." | Trial judge Mr Justice Henriques said: "I think the response speaks for itself." |
| Special bullets | Special bullets |
| Specialist firearms officers used hollow-point 124 grain bullets, employed by US air marshals, to kill Mr de Menezes, the court heard on Monday. | Specialist firearms officers used hollow-point 124 grain bullets, employed by US air marshals, to kill Mr de Menezes, the court heard on Monday. |
| A senior firearms adviser, known as "Andrew" to protect his anonymity, said the decision to use this ammunition was made to help police chasing the failed 21 July suicide bombers. | A senior firearms adviser, known as "Andrew" to protect his anonymity, said the decision to use this ammunition was made to help police chasing the failed 21 July suicide bombers. |
| He also stressed that officers were trained to fire "as a last resort, when conventional methods have failed". | He also stressed that officers were trained to fire "as a last resort, when conventional methods have failed". |