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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 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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