Police could have used Taser instead of shooting my brother

Mark Saunders, 32, was shot dead on 6 May at his £2.2million flat in Markham Square, Chelsea, after a five-hour stand-off with armed police.

The siege began after the former Territorial Army soldier fired a legally owned 12-bore shotgun from a window of his home.

His sister, Charlotte Saunders, 26, lost a High Court case this month to rule the official Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation into the shooting unlawful after the police marksmen involved were allowed to confer before giving witness statements.

Now, Ms Saunders has claimed a senior IPCC member told her that police officers had a 20-minute opportunity to use a non-fatal Taser gun on her brother.

She also highlighted video footage, taken from a police helicopter, which shows Mr Saunders had not fired his gun for at least the same period of time and was talking to officers only 10 seconds before he was shot by specialist firearms officers from the Met

Ms Saunders said: "If the police were within range for Taser guns why didn't they Taser him then?"

She went on: "All through the IPCC spectrum, from the top to the bottom, the consensus was that the inquiry would yield nothing. We got blasted in court for leaking confidential information. But the IPCC specifically told us it wasn't confidential. Now they're making out we're unreliable and aggressive but if anyone's been economical with the truth it's them."

Ms Saunders said an IPCC official told the family that it was "highly unlikely" that any misconduct by police would be found. The barrister's family now believe the IPCC inquiry, which is not due to be completed until April, is a foregone conclusion and that the CO19 marksmen will be cleared.

Despite not winning their High Court challenge, the family's campaign led to a change in the rules which allowed police gunmen to confer on preparing their notes before an inquiry, with the practice being ended by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

IPCC commissioner Ian Bynoe said: "The chair of the IPCC has offered to meet Charlotte Saunders and her family to discuss any concerns or questions that they have about the investigation. This would allow us to discuss issues directly with the Saunders family rather than via the media. As yet we have had no response to this offer but it does still stand."