Menezes officer doctored key evidence

A SENIOR police officer is to be investigated after admitting altering evidence during the Jean Charles de Menezes inquest.

The Special Branch surveillance officer, named only as Owen, last week deleted a line in his computer notes that indicated Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick initially said the shot Brazilian electrician could "run on to Tube as (because] not carrying anything".

But yesterday he told Mr de Menezes's inquest: "On reflection, I looked at that and thought I cannot actually say that."

A spokesman for the Independent Police Complaints Commission said: "This matter will be subject to an independent investigation and we are not in a position to comment further at this stage."

The officer said the line was removed on 7 October – more than two weeks into the hearing at the Oval cricket ground – because he "didn't see it as relevant".

He deleted more than he had intended because he was in a rush to get to an appointment, he claimed.

Saying he was now not sure who had actually said "let him run", the officer added: "All I can say was that one of the options was letting him run because he was not carrying anything and that there's a disagreement between management.

"I believe it was the commander but when I reflected I couldn't be sure whether she was saying this is what we are going to do or this is one of the options. It was a woman's voice."

Minutes later, Ms Dick effectively directed the shooting of Mr de Menezes by ordering a "hard-stop", Owen added.

He said: "A hard stop is an aggressive stop. It's not an official term but it is an aggressive stop."

Owen said he mentioned the changes he made to a Metropolitan Police solicitor the day after he submitted his evidence, on 8 October.

When asked if he was aware that what he had done was very serious, he added: "I have removed a line I believed was wrong and gave a totally false impression."

When asked if management had asked him to make that amendment, he replied: "No. I am sure of that, sir."

Ms Dick previously claimed she believed Mr de Menezes posed a "great threat" as officers pursued him on 22 July, 2005.

The 27-year-old was killed by specialist firearms officers who mistook him for the bombing suspect Hussain Osman after boarding a train at Stockwell Tube station.

Earlier yesterday, Detective Inspector Merrick Rose told the inquest he "cannot recall" whether officers discussed photographs which could have stopped police mistaking Mr de Menezes for a failed bomber.

He said surveillance of the 21 July 2005 attackers on a camping trip in the Lake District the previous year was identified in a dawn briefing.

But he said he could not remember whether pictures of failed bomber Osman were mentioned before the Brazilian electrician was killed.

Mr Rose said: "I cannot recall anything that was said about photographs, no."

The hearing, due to last 12 weeks, continues today.