Thetownend.com

Now weve all got our opinions on the right and wrongs of this case...but i couldnt believe what i heard from the judge in this case..the jury has listened to over a hundred witnesses over a period of months and this judge has told them that they cannot pass a verdict of unlawfull killing..only accidentle or an open verdict...so whats the point in a jury if they cant pass what they feel....let a judge pass what he feels and save all the suffering the stress the witnesses and jury have to go through...end off.

whatever happend to john menzies?

Unlawful killing would be if they shot him when they knew he did not pose a threat. IE they were told to stand down but shot him anyway. They have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was shot when the copper that shot him knew he was not a threat.

At the time they shot him they argue that he was still considered a threat so an unlawful killing verdict cannot be passed as no-one can prove otherwise.

Doesn't make it right, but that's how the system works.

It does make it right, the Coroner is that to ensure that the law is applied correctly - if he hadn't given that ruling he would not have been doing his job

It's quite common for judges to guide jury's on what they can consider as a verdict isn't it?

Whilst getting a random selection of people to decide the outcome of cases is a good way of keeping things impartial, these people aren't going to be legal experts. A verdict of unlawful killing (probably, I might be getting this a bit wrong here) has a lot of complicated background legal stuff which doesn't fit the case.

That doesn't mean it's not a failing of the legal system as a whole.

Isn't it a coroners inquest, so it's purpose isn't to find individuals guilty/non-guilty of murder anyway.

I'm sure someone else can explain the ins and outs of it better ,I've actually let most of it go over my head despite normally finding stuff like this interesting.


Edit: ahh some people have already explained better than me.

De Menezes got himself killed, the idiot.

The police should shoot some more foreigners

So if you get killed for jumping a barrier and looking like a Muslim then what do you get if you're a criminal?

6 months

It turned out he didn't jump the barrier didn't it? (Not that it makes any difference)

He ran through it. He was a invincible muslim

Community Service

Oh dear.

If I had a load of armed blokes shouting at me in a language I didn't understand I'd probably hop it as well.

plus he was coked up

Then in that situation, i'd have supported them shooting you :)

If i was faced with the same situation i'd be eating the pavement almost immediately.