Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes
- Steve Hurr
- May 5
- 2 min read
After the success of the drama series that exposed the lies and manipulations which covered up the Post Office Scandal, it seems that television is now the ideal medium to expose miscarriages of justice.
For the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, it’s taken 20 years and a TV drama to do what the law could not: tell the true story of his death.
Whilst a small amount of blame may be attributed to bad luck, it seems the cruel fate of De Menezes was bought about by gross police incompetence.
I am sure many of us can remember the horrific shooting of this Brazilian man on the London Underground, when he was mistaken for a terrorist suicide bomber after the 7/7 terror attacks.
What we might also remember are the alleged lies and misinformation that were reported in the media by senior police officials.
To date, no individual member of the police force has ever been blamed or disciplined for this disturbing assassination.
In fact, some of the senior officials involved in the handling of the shooting such as Ian Blair and Cressida Dick, have been promoted and honoured. The series brings up many questions as to whether the people in charge were capable or culpable.
"We hope the series will improve people’s knowledge of the story," says Maria, de Menezes’s mother, speaking through a translator on a trip to London to support the series. "This drama is finally revealing all the lies by the police."
The cast is stellar, with performances by Emily Mortimer, Russel Tovey, Conleth Hill and Laura Aikman to name but a few.
Like with the Post Office Scandal, we are left to wonder if the people we should trust want to uncover the truth or protect their own backs.
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