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In July 2005 London was facing a unique and terrifying situation. Four bombers had blown themselves up on 7th July, killing 52 commuters and injuring more than 700. Two weeks later, four more launched another attack. Luckily they failed. But the city woke the next morning knowing that they were still at large. The Metropolitan Police was under unprecedented pressure to find them.

For Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, Friday 22nd July 2005 was an ordinary working day – his last ever as it turned out. He left his home in Stockwell just after 9.30am and took the bus to Stockwell tube station. He grabbed a free paper on his way in and headed down to board the Northern Line train. Within minutes he was dead. Horrified commuters watched as multiple bullets were pumped into Jean Charles’ prostrate body by expert firearms officers who thought they were on the tail of one of the would-be suicide bombers involved in the previous day’s botched attack.

The 27-year-old was a completely innocent victim and his death was the worst case of mistaken identity in the history of the Metropolitan Police. Subsequent investigations exposed a catalogue of errors. Sir Ian Blair, the Met Commissioner, ignored loud calls for his resignation and the force had to pay more than half a million in court costs but no individual was ever held to account.

Joining Kirsty Wark to recall what happened are Jean Charles’ cousin Patricia da Silva Armani, his close friend Erionaldo Silva, Yasmin Khan and Asad Rehman who led the Justice4Jean campaign, veteran lawyer Gareth Peirce and Lana Vandenberghe who was working for the Independent Complaints Commission.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Karen Pirie
Series Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4