De Menezes Report

Commissioner was 'misled' over De Menezes shooting, report finds

Britain's most senior counter-terrorism police officer deliberately misled his own commissioner about the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an official report has found.  The report says it has "serious concern" over the conduct of assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, and says complaints against him are upheld...

The IPCC finds that complaints against Mr Hayman, who is still in charge of counter-terrorism, are substantiated, and gives a clear signal it believes he should face disciplinary action. The Metropolitan Police Authority will now decide what action to take.

Complaints against the commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, are not upheld, but the IPCC finds he was not told about a large amount of evidence suggesting the wrong man had been shot, and did not know until the next day.

Mr Hayman told IPCC investigators he could not remember what he told the Crime Reporters Association on the afternoon of July 22 about the shooting. The IPCC report disagrees. "There is compelling corroboration that AC Hayman categorically stated at the CRA briefing that the deceased was not one of the four wanted men," it says. About 30 minutes later Mr Hayman attended a meeting of top Met officers and senior Whitehall officials at Scotland Yard.

The report finds: "It is apparent that he deliberately withheld the information both that he briefed the CRA and on the contents of that briefing despite being asked for information by the commissioner. He therefore misled the commissioner, other senior MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] officers and representatives from the MPA and HO [home office] who were present."