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Paddick: Chief on day of Menezes operation gave too many orders
Paul Cheston, Courts Correspondent05.11.08
FORMER police chief Brian Paddick attacked Scotland Yard's most senior woman officer today over her role in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
Previously, the inquest heard how Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, in charge of the operation that ended with the Brazilian's death, gave a series of orders as surveillance officers followed him through south London. There was then confusion over whether he had been confirmed as a suspected terrorist bomber.
Today, however, Mr Paddick told the inquest she should have dealt only with the decision to open fire. He said: "My understanding of the role of the DSO (designated senior officer) is to make decisions around when officers are confronted by a suicide bomber who is suspected of being about to detonate a device.
"That officer is designated only to deal with the critical shot decision."
Mr Paddick, a former deputy assistant commissioner, also emphasised that Met policy stated officers should give a warning before opening fire if they were not convinced they were facing a terrorist.
Witnesses have all said no warning was shouted - although one marksman, C12, insists he did yell "armed police".
Mr Paddick continued: "If there is nothing that they [the marksmen] see that undermines what the DSO has told them then they are authorised to take a critical shot without warning.
"If, having been authorised to take the critical shot, the firearms officers have some doubt - there's an extra bit of information that clearly the DSO has not had ... then the firearms officers should give a warning, and then respond to the suspect on the basis of how the suspect responds to that warning."
Earlier, the pathologist who examined the body of Mr de Menezes said he was misled by police into believing the Brazilian had vaulted a ticket barrier in Stockwell station. Dr Kenneth Shorrock said he had wrongly recorded in his notes that the electrician jumped over before stumbling down an escalator. He had been given the false information during a "walk-through" with officers at the station hours after the shooting, he said.
He rejected suggestions he had been influenced by news reports and said he had made the notes before seeing any.
Police marksmen shot Mr de Menezes seven times at point-blank range on a train carriage on 22 July 2005. He had been mistaken for one of the terrorists behind the 21/7 failed suicide attacks.
Four bullets entered his brain, said Dr Shorrock, and death would have been "instantaneous". He added: "They went around the region above and behind the ear and they went through the centre of the brain." The hearing at The Oval Cricket Ground continues.
