- Harry Stanley
Harry Stanley (c.
1953 -22 September 1999 ) was a painter and decorator, who was fatally shot by police, in controversial circumstances.Harry Stanley was born in
Bellshill , nearGlasgow, Scotland , where he lived for the first 19 years of his life. In the early 1970s Stanley moved to London in search of work and he married his childhood sweetheart, Irene. He had 3 children, and grandchildren, and lived in Hackney, East London. The 46-year-old painter and decorator had only recently been released from hospital after an operation forcolon cancer at the time of his death.On the
22 September 1999 he was returning home from the Alexandra Pub inSouth Hackney carrying, in a plastic bag, a table leg that had been repaired by his brother earlier that day. Someone had phoned the police to report "an Irishman with a gun wrapped in a bag". [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3974461.stm | title=How tip-off led to shooting death | publisher=BBC News | date=2004-11-02 | accessdate=2006-04-11]Close to his home, Inspector Neil Sharman and PC Kevin Fagan, the crew of a Metropolitan police
Armed Response Vehicle challenged Mr. Stanley from behind. As he turned to face them, they shot him dead at a distance of 15 feet (5 m) Fact|date=February 2007.The first inquest jury in 2002 returned an open verdict. [cite news | first=Owen | last=Bowcott | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,741875,00.html | title=Open verdict on man shot dead by police | work=The Guardian | date=
2002-06-22 | accessdate=2006-04-10.] Stanley's family were unhappy with this outcome, particularly as thecoroner , Dr. Stephen Chan, had only allowed the jury to return either a verdict of lawful killing or an open verdict. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2058109.stm | title=Family's anger at shot man verdict | publisher=BBC News | date=2002-06-21 | accessdate=2006-04-10]His widow, Irene, petitioned the High Court and succeeded in obtaining a judicial review of the first inquest. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2723903.stm | title=Judicial review of shot man verdict | publisher=BBC News | date=
2003-02-04 | accessdate=2006-04-10] On7 April 2003 Mr. Justice Sieber ordered a fresh inquest after ruling that there had been an "insufficient inquiry". [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/2923565.stm | title=New inquest into police shooting | publisher=BBC News | date=2003-04-07 | accessdate=2006-04-10]During the new hearing, coroner Dr. Andrew Reid heard that the two officers fired the shots after being given wrong information in a tipoff, they had been told that Mr Stanley was carrying a weapon and had an Irish accent.Fact|date=February 2007 The new jury returned a verdict, in November 2004, of unlawful killing [cite news | first=Paul | last=Cheston | url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/14372830 | title=Police shooting 'unlawful' | work=Evening Standard | date=
2004-10-29 | accessdate=2006-04-10] , which resulted in the suspension of the officers involved. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3965207.stm | title=Unlawful killing police suspended | publisher=BBC News | date=2004-10-29 | accessdate=2006-04-10]In protest at their suspension over 100 armed officers returned their weapons, with Glen Smyth, a Police Federation spokesman saying, "The officers are very concerned that the tactics they are trained in, as a consequence of the verdict, are now in doubt." [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3973261.stm | title=More police join firearms protest | publisher=BBC News | date=
2004-11-02 | accessdate=2006-04-10] The officers' suspensions were lifted shortly afterwards. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4086725.stm | title=Gun death officers return to work | publisher=BBC News | date=2004-12-10 | accessdate=2006-04-11]In May 2005 the High Court decided that there was "insufficient evidence" for the verdict of unlawful killing, overturning it and reinstating the open verdict of the first inquest. [cite news | url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=437&id=516502005 | title=Police gunman is cleared of unlawful killing | work=The Scotsman | date=
2005-05-12 | accessdate=2006-04-11] Mr. Justice Leveson also decided a third inquest should not be held, but added his weight to calls for reform of the inquest system. [cite news | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1482284,00.html | title=Court quashes table leg shooting verdict | work=The Guardian | date=2005-05-12 | accessdate=2006-04-11] Glen Smyth described the ruling as "common sense" [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4539693.stm | title=Table leg killing verdict quashed | publisher=BBC News | date=2005-05-12 | accessdate=2006-04-11] , but the campaign group Inquest was disappointed, saying the verdict sent "a message that families cannot have any confidence in the system. They feel they cannot get justice when a death in custody occurs." [cite news | first=Hugh | last=Muir | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/gun/Story/0,,1482939,00.html | title=Officer cleared after killing man carrying table leg | work=The Guardian | date=2005-05-13 | accessdate=2006-04-11]On
2 June 2005 the two officers involved in the shooting were arrested and interviewed, following an investigation bySurrey Police involving new forensic evidence. [cite news | first=John | last=Steele | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/03/nshoot03.xml | title=Firearms officers are arrested over 1999 'table leg' shooting | work=The Telegraph | date=2005-06-03 | accessdate=2006-04-10] TheCrown Prosecution Service decided in October 2005 not to press charges, saying that they "concluded that the prosecution evidence is insufficient to rebut the officers' assertion that they were acting in self defence". [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4359692.stm | title=No charges for gun death officers | publisher=BBC News | date=2005-10-20 | accessdate=2006-04-10]On
9 February 2006 theIndependent Police Complaints Commission published their report into the incident, recommending that no further disciplinary action be taken against the officers. [cite press release | publisher = IPCC | date =2006-02-09 | title = Harry Stanley - IPCC publishes decision and report | url = http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/pr090206_stanley ] Representatives of the Stanley family expressed their "bitter disappointment" and stated the case was a failure of the criminal justice system. [cite news | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/gun/Story/0,,1705820,00.html | title=Police to escape discipline over table leg killing | work=The Guardian | date=2006-02-09 | accessdate=2006-04-10] [cite news | first=Rosie | last=Cowan | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/gun/Story/0,,1706607,00.html | title=Met officers in 'table leg' shooting will not face action | work=The Guardian | date=2006-02-10 | accessdate=2006-04-10] The Metropolitan Police Federation stated, "We are, of course, delighted by the vindication of the officers. But we remain deeply disturbed at the way the whole matter has been handled." [cite web | url = http://www.metfed.org.uk/current_affairs.html#ca03 | title = Stanley case: myth and fact | publisher = Metropolitan Police Federation | accessdate = 2006-04-10] The report did make notable recommendations to the police in the post-incident procedure to be followed after a shooting. [cite news | first=Stephen | last=Cragg | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8164-2037326.html | title=Legislation update | work=The Times | date=2006-02-14 | accessdate=2006-04-10]"
Chumbawamba " wrote a song about Stanley, "Without Reason or Rhyme (The Killing of Harry Stanley)". It appeared in the 2003 album, "Readymades ".See also
*
Jean Charles de Menezes
*Police use of firearms in the United Kingdom References
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