23 Sep 2010

Marksmen appear at Saunders inquest

The specialist firearms officers responsible for shooting barrister Mark Saunders after a five hour standoff in London, have given evidence at his inquest as video of the standoff was released.

Some of the police officers who fired the shots that killed barrister Mark Saunders on 6 May 2008 have spoken in public for the first time at his inquest.

The inquest jury have been told how Mr Saunders, 32, left for work as usual in the morning, but spent the afternoon drinking before heading back to his £2.2m home in Chelsea, west London.

The hearing at Westminster Coroner’s Court heard how the divorce barrister and Oxford graduate had battled drink and drugs and had been attending Alcoholics Anonymous. He had also been prescribed anti-depressants.

At the point where I noticed he was carrying the weapon, it was levelled in the direction of the area I was in and a shot was discharged towards my direction. Officer AZ 15

The five hour siege was sparked at 4.40pm after Mr Saunders fired his shotgun while on the phone to a friend.

At around 7pm specialist police officers began negotiations with him.

Tapes played to the inquest revealed how police negotiators had reassured the gunman that he would come to no harm, and urged him to surrender his weapon.

During the evening Mr Saunders fired several shots, and scrawled notes saying “want to kill myself” and “mum”, which he waved from the widow.

He also spoke of his fears over how the incident would affect his career.

Officer’s testimony
An officer from the Metropolitan police’s specialist firearms unit CO19 told the court that he went to the house armed with a Glock-17 self-loading pistol.

The officer, known only as AZ 15 to preserve his anonymity, described entering a house in a neighbouring street and noticing damage caused by “birdshot or pellets from a shotgun” on the window.

“At the point where I noticed he was carrying the weapon, it was levelled in the direction of the area I was in and a shot was discharged towards my direction.”

The officer said he became aware that one of the occupants of the house had come into the room so he fired two shots back at the gunman: “I feared for the safety of the person in the room, so until I could assess where that person was, I discharged two shots from my weapon.”

He also fired a third shot, because he anticipated a second shot from the gunman, he added.

Within seconds of another officer known as AZ 14 taking over his position with a longer range weapon, the gunman fired a second time. “The shot struck the masonry of the window surround of the room we were in.”

The officer said he then helped evacuate the man and woman from the house.

‘He wanted to say goodbye’
Mr Saunders’s family has criticised police for not letting him speak to his wife, family or friends during the standoff.

The fact that he wanted to say goodbye, to me, meant that it was a very bad idea to introduce Mrs Saunders or anybody else he wanted to speak to for that purpose. Superintendent John Sutherland

But chief negotiator, Superintendent John Sutherland told the inquest that it would have been a “very bad idea”.

He said: “If their stated intention is to say goodbye to somebody, that to me as a trained negotiator is a sign that they want to do so as an immediate precursor to taking their life.

“The fact that he wanted to say goodbye, to me, meant that it was a very bad idea to introduce Mrs Saunders or anybody else he wanted to speak to for that purpose.”

Mr Saunders was shot dead at 9.32 pm after lowering his weapon, which remained aimed at police marksmen.

The police insist they acted in the interests of safety, but the man’s family argue he posed no threat to the public.

The 11 strong jury will be asked to decide whether the shooting of Mr Saunders was lawful.