Mother’s plea for justice on son shot by police

Pam Duggan, whose son Mark was shot in the torso by Metropolitan Police as they swooped on a car he was travelling in, hit out at their wait for answers.

“The past 12 months have been terrible,” Mrs Duggan said. “We still have no answers about why my son died. Thirty-one police officers surrounded Mark and he was shot twice. Why?

“Why have none of the police officers given statements, one year on? One of the last things my partner, Mark’s dad, said before he died a few weeks ago was that he wanted justice for his son.

“We still don’t have justice. I won’t give up until I get justice for Mark. People need to be held to account for my son’s death. There needs to be a full inquest, in front of a jury of ordinary men and women, to find out the truth.”

The police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is compiling a report that will be passed to a coroner in the autumn.

An inquest into the death of the father of four will take place in January but there is a possibility that some evidence about police operations will be heard in secret, which would mean a special type of public inquiry would be held.

Mr Duggan died when officers blocked a grey people carrier in Tottenham, north London, on August 4 last year as part of a pre-planned operation, and shot him in the chest.

A non-police issue handgun, converted from a blank-firing pistol to one that shoots live rounds, was recovered close to the scene, although there was no evidence he had shot at police.

His brother Shaun Hall and mother questioned why officers had shot him in the chest rather than a non-lethal part of the body. A provisional date for the eight-week inquest has been set for January 28 2013, following a pre-inquest review on October 23.

Duggan family friend and community activist Stafford Scott, said of the anniversary: “It will be a really solemn occasion as they have just buried Mark’s father last week.

“The anniversary of his death comes at a most inopportune time, not that there is ever a good time, but it is a particularly bad time for the family.

“We would welcome some respect from the media in terms of not intruding on their privacy.

“The Press used Mark as a platform to talk about the riots when these people had lost a treasured son and family member.

“They knew nothing about the riots – they have lost their son.”

Scotland Yard and the IPCC have apologised for their lack of contact with his family in the wake of the shooting.

Police failed to formally notify the family of his death, and issued an apology in February this year for not speaking to his parents, Ms Duggan and Bruno Hall.

His mother said that because an officer had not been to her house, she believed that her son may still be alive.

The IPCC also apologised for failing to meet the family to explain the role of the watchdog and provide support.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said of the anniversary: “It’s an important time to remember what happened.

“There is a commemoration taking place and I think it will be observed as it should be in a proper and dignified way.”

Tomorrow’s memorial service will be private, the family said, and details of the venue were not released. The family also stressed they would not be making a public appearance this weekend.