The full oral hearings for the public inquiry into the fatal shooting of Azelle Rodney by the Metropolitan Police opened this week, with Leslie Thomas acting for Mr Rodney's family. This is the first such inquiry in England into a death, replacing the role of an inquest heard by a jury.
Azelle Rodney died in 2005 after the vehicle he was driving was stopped by the police. He was then shot six times. The British government has already apologised to the European Court of Human Rights for the delay in holding a full investigation promptly - a right guaranteed to Mr Azelle's family under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Part of the reason for the delay, and the reason that the evidence is not being heard by an inquest, is that some of the sensitive evidence relating to the police operation is subject to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).
The Inquiry's website has links to a live stream of the hearing, transcripts of proceedings, and all evidence exhibits, though many of these are heavily redacted.
Leslie is instructed by Hickman and Rose Solicitors.
Leslie Thomas is a member of the Garden Court Claims Against the Police and Inquests Teams.
