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Coroner attacks Menezes protest
Paul Cheston, Courts Correspondent5 Dec 2008
The coroner in the Jean Charles de Menezes inquest today launched an astonishing attack on the dead man's family.
Sir Michael Wright said the family's protest yesterday was "quite wrong" and ordered the jury to ignore it. Four cousins of the Brazilian, including Vivian Figuerdo, walked out of the inquest at the Oval cricket ground in T-shirts with the slogan "unlawful killing".
They had been objecting to the coroner's ruling that the jury would only be allowed to return an open verdict or one of lawful killing.
The coroner asked the jury to consider the upset that would have been caused if relatives of police officers, who mistook Mr de Menezes,27, for a terrorist and shot him at Stockwell Tube station on 22 July 2005, had made a similar demonstration. Sir Michael said: "What was displayed was wrong and you should ignore it.
"I am well aware that these proceedings are distressing for a large number of people - not just the family of Mr de Menezes - but everybody is relying on you to make your decision dispassionately." The case continues.
