British deputy PM backs police over Brazilian's Killing
Pakistan Times Monitoring Desk

LONDON (UK): Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on Sunday backed Britain’s under-fire top police officer over his handling of the Jean Charles de Menezes shooting.

Police officers shot the innocent Brazilian dead on suspicion of being a suicide bomber in a south London subway station on July-22, a day after a failed attempted repeat of the July-7 bombings on the capital’s transport which left 56 people dead.

Yes

Asked if Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair enjoyed his “full and unqualified” confidence, Prescott replied simply “yes”.

But Prescott, in charge of the government while Prime Minister Tony Blair is on holiday, appeared to criticise the way the police force offered compensation to the dead 27-year-old’s family.

The Met said Saturday it had offered 15,000 pounds (22,200 euros, 27,000 dollars) as an “ex gratia” payment.

Ex-gratia offer lamented

The offer has been criticised for being written to the electrician’s family in tough legal English, as they speak only Portuguese.

“I haven’t seen the letter and I think it would be terrible if it was done that way,” Prescott told BBC television.

“It does sound not a very sensitive way to deal with such a difficult matter.”

Prescott stressed the need to wait for the Independent Police Complaints Commission report into the shooting.

“Let us deal with the serious issue of the circumstances surrounding the death of this young lad and then wait for the report on that,” he said.●