Police in clear over shooting of barrister

An inquest jury ruled Scotland Yard firearms officers acted lawfully when they killed the 32-year-old during an armed siege at his Chelsea home.

But Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers announced they would review the proceedings to see if any significant new evidence had emerged.

Sally Walsh, of the CPS, said the full transcript of the two-and-a-half week inquest was examined but nothing was found.

The decision will come as a relief to members of the Met's CO19 firearms wing who gave evidence during the hearing.

Prosecutors also discounted bringing charges against more senior officers for negligence, misconduct or breaches of health and safety laws.

One CO19 officer, known only as Alpha Zulu 8 (AZ8), is the subject of an investigation into claims he inserted song lyrics into his testimony.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission launched a fresh investigation after senior officers referred the allegations to the watchdog.

Mr Saunders, a high-flying divorce specialist, died in a hail of police bullets after a stand-off at his multi-million pound Markham Square home.

The depressed alcoholic, who had been on a lonely drinking binge, was killed as he levelled a 12-bore game shooting gun at police surrounding the property.