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De Menezes family storm out of inquest
Kiran Randhawa4 Dec 2008
Relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes walked out of the inquest into his death today in protest over the coroner's decision that the jury cannot return a verdict of unlawful killing.
Four cousins of Mr de Menezes stood up during coroner Sir Michael Wright's summing-up of the seven-week inquest and opened their jackets to reveal T-shirts printed with the slogans "unlawful killing verdict" on the back and "your legal right to decide" on the front.
Patricia da Silva Armani, Vivian Figueiredo, Alessandro Pereira and Erion Aldo da Silva then walked up to the jury and stood in silence before exiting.
The coroner, his barrister and legal teams for the Metropolitan Police looked on aghast before security officials tried to stop the protest. The walkout was met with cheers by members of campaign group, Justice4Jean, standing outside.
The action at the Oval cricket ground follows the coroner's decision, which leaves the jury with a choice between lawful killing or an open verdict.
Earlier, the coroner had told the court that the legal team representing Mr de Menezes's family, Michael Mansfield and Henrietta Hill, would not be present for the remainder of the case.
The former High Court judge added: "The evidence and legal submissions are of course now over."
Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot by firearms officers at point-blank range after being mistaken for failed suicide bomber, Hussain Osman, at Stockwell Tube station on 22 July, 2005.
The jurors will decide whether a string of factors - including photographs, communications and orders issued from the control room at New Scotland Yard - caused or contributed to his death.
The inquest heard from 100 witnesses, including the two men who shot dead Mr de Menezes. The jury began its deliberations today.
