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UK 'right not to charge' police over De Menezes death

British prosecutors were 'right not to charge' the officers involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled.

The de Menezes family challenged the decision not to bring charges over the 27-year-old's death more than a decade after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber and shot dead by police at Stockwell Underground station on July 22, 2005 - two weeks after the London bombings.

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De Menezes family 'sad' and 'disappointed' with ruling

Jean Charles de Menezes' cousin has said the family are "very disappointed and sad" at the ruling from the European Court of Human Rights to uphold a decision not to prosecute the officers involved in his death.

However, Patricia da Silva said she was not surprised by the decision because the case is "very complicated".

She added that the family has "been in pain for 10 years and has suffered a lot of frustration" but was glad that they were at least able to take the case to the highest court of human rights in Europe.

We had hoped that the ruling would give a glimmer of hope, not only to us, but to all other families who have been denied the right to justice after deaths at the hands of the police.

We find it unbelievable that our innocent cousin could be shot seven times in the head by the Metropolitan police when he had done nothing wrong and yet the police have not had to account for their actions.

As we have always maintained, we feel that decisions about guilt and innocence should be made by juries, not by faceless bureaucrats and we are deeply saddened that we have been denied that opportunity yet again.

– Patricia da Silva

'De Menezes death 'tragic' but court made right decision'

Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police in July 2005. Credit: PA / Family Handout

The Government have said today that although the death of Jean Charles de Menezes was "tragic" it was right that the ECHR ruled to uphold a decision not to prosecute the officers involved in the case.

The Government considers the Strasbourg court has handed down the right judgment.

The facts of this case are tragic, but the Government considers that the court has upheld the important principle that individuals are only prosecuted where there is a realistic prospect of conviction.

– Government spokesperson

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UK 'right not to charge' police over De Menezes death

ean Charles de Menezes was shot dead on July 22, 2005. Credit: PA

British prosecutors were 'right not to charge' the officers involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled.

It comes as the de Menezes family challenged the decision not to bring charges over the 27-year-old's death more than a decade after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber and shot dead by police at Stockwell Underground station on July 22, 2005.

In 2006 the Crown Prosecution Service said no individual should be charged over the shooting.

The de Menezes family agreed to an undisclosed settlement with Scotland Yard in 2009 after an inquest delivered an 'open verdict' but last year relatives decided to take the case to the ECHR for reconsideration as they said they believed the failure to prosecute individual officers breached his rights.

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