Pressure on Labour MP Diane Abbott after claiming she was 'baffled' by jury ruling Mark Duggan was lawfully killed

  • Labour MP publicly questioned the inquest ruling on Twitter
  • Rioting broke out when father-of-six Mr Duggan was shot dead in 2011
  • Scotland Yard at a 'heightened state of readiness' for disorder after verdict
  • Mr Duggan's family have vowed to continue their battle through the courts
  • They are planning a vigil in Tottenham at the weekend - and there are fears of an outbreak of violence
  • David Cameron called for people to respect 'proper judicial process'

Labour MP Diane Abbott was today forced to defend her decision to publicly question the outcome of the Mark Duggan inquest.

The former frontbencher said she was ‘baffled’ and ‘startled’ by the jury’s ruling that Mr Duggan’s killing was lawful.

But she faced criticism for appearing to second guess the jury, which spent months examining the evidence of what happened in the moments before the police shot Mr Duggan dead in August 2011.

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Labour MP Diane Abbott has faced questions about why she said she was 'startled' and 'baffled' by the verdict in the inquest of Mark Duggan

Labour MP Diane Abbott has faced questions about why she said she was 'startled' and 'baffled' by the verdict in the inquest of Mark Duggan

Shooting: Mark Duggan who was shot dead by police in August 2011, sparking rioting across London
Mark Duggan was killed by police in Tottenham, north London. Armed officers said he was raising a gun

Shooting: Mark Duggan was killed by armed police marksman in Tottenham, north London, in August 2011, sparking rioting across the country

ARMED POLICE TO BE GIVEN BODY WORN VIDEO CAMERAS

Armed police will be given body-worn video cameras to try and restore public trust following the shooting of Mark Duggan.

Police marksman were criticised for their accounts of the incident which differed from members of the public.

Equipping officers with video cameras would help cut out 'opinions and conjecture' similar to those that have plagued the Duggan investigation.

The central question raised by the disputed evidence was whether Duggan, a known drug dealer and member of the notorious Tottenham Mandem, was armed as he emerged from a taxi before being shot.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: 'Is it possible to rule out a situation where it turns out the person wasn't holding a lethal weapon? No it's not.'

He explained that that issues from imitation firearms to poor lighting mean mistakes are inevitable.

He said: 'You can't avoid that, but the officer by law has to justify that they reasonably believed that there was such imminent risk of lethal force being used against them or some other person that they had no choice but to pull the trigger. It's a very high bar.'

The killing of the 29-year-old gangster in Tottenham, north London, in August 2011 sparked the outbreak of rioting and looting across the country.

Amid fears of a fresh outbreak of violence following the inquest, riot police have been put on standby across the capital.

The father-of-six's aunt Carole defiantly raised her fist outside court yesterday and vowed 'no justice, no peace' and said that police had 'executed' her nephew.

But in an about turn this morning, she called for 'no more violence' and said they would seek justice through the courts - rather than on the streets.

However, the family plan to hold a vigil in Tottenham at the weekend and there are concerns that the event could spark unrest in a repeat of what happened immediately after he was killed in 2011.

Today David Cameron appealed for a calm response to the verdict that Mr Duggan was lawfully killed by a police marksman despite being unarmed.

The Prime Minister said he hoped people would respect the 'proper judicial process'.

Speaking to BBC London, he said: 'I very much respect Mark Duggan's aunt for saying they want to pursue their case through the courts rather than on the streets, I think that's absolutely right.

'These issues raise very strong emotions but I hope people can react calmly and recognise that we have proper judicial processes in this country and they are the ones that must be followed and respected.'

Tensions: Police talk to members of the public on Tottenham High Road today amid fears of fresh violence following the Mark Duggan inquest verdict

Tensions: Police talk to members of the public on Tottenham High Road today amid fears of fresh violence following the Mark Duggan inquest verdict

Police presence: Officers patrol in Tottenham today as riot police are put on standby amid fears of fresh rioting in the capital

Police presence: Officers patrol in Tottenham today as riot police are put on standby amid fears of fresh rioting in the capital

A policeman wearing CCTV body camera with his uniform - similar to those that could be worn by armed officers

A policeman wearing CCTV body camera with his uniform - similar to those that could be worn by armed officers

Miss Abbott, who was in Ed Miliband’s frontbench team until last October, sparked controversy when she tweeted after the inquest: ‘If the Duggan jury believe that he did not have a gun in his hand when he was shot, how can they find it was a lawful killing?’

She later said there would be ‘questions to be asked’.

Tory MP Henry Smith condemned the remarks: ‘We have a system of courts in this country. I don’t think it’s appropriate for people to second guess the verdict of a court that has followed due process.

‘Given the events of the summer of 2011 community leaders and politicians need to be very careful of their language and not say things that inflame matters.’

Miss Abbott was repeatedly challenged live on air today about whether an elected politician should appear to question the outcome of a British court.

She accused Sky News presenter Kay Burley of not doing their viewers a ‘service’ by focusing on her comments instead of the wider issues the case raised.

Under pressure, she said: ‘I am not second guessing the jury today but I was taken aback but that’s different from saying I am in some way trying to challenge the jury.

‘But what I am challenging is you harping on about this issue rather than the issues facing the area of Tottenham.’

 
Shooting: Paramedics work on Mark Duggan in the moments after he was fatally shot by a Metropolitan Police marksman in Tottenham, north London, in August 2011

Shooting: Paramedics work on Mark Duggan in the moments after he was fatally shot by a Metropolitan Police marksman in Tottenham, north London, in August 2011

Defiance: Carole Duggan - seen here declaring 'no justice, no peace' - today vowed there should be 'no more violence' after a jury ruled Mark Duggan had been lawfully killed

Defiance: Carole Duggan - seen here declaring 'no justice, no peace' - today vowed there should be 'no more violence' after a jury ruled Mark Duggan had been lawfully killed

CLEGG: 'QUESTIONS' ABOUT HOW SHOOTINGS ARE INVESTIGATED

Nick Clegg said there are 'questions to be asked' about how investigations into police shootings are handled after an inquest found Mark Duggan was lawfully killed despite being unarmed.

The Deputy Prime Minister said he 'totally understood' the angry reaction to the finding in some quarters, but stressed the case had been considered by a jury.

Tensions appeared to have been heightened because communications between officers and local people broke down during the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) probe, he said.

Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe will meet political representatives from the capital and prominent figures from Tottenham today to discuss how the police can improve relationships. He said he is 'open to ideas and advice'.

Speaking on his weekly LBC radio phone-in, Mr Clegg said: 'I can totally understand and I think the commissioner is quite right to say this morning that he also understands why that has caused as much anxiety, concern, in some cases outright anger among members of the community, his family and friends.

'I am sure there are questions that need to be asked, not only about how some of these investigations are conducted.'

The Liberal Democrat leader went on: 'At the end of the day in this case, this is a jury. This is a jury just like a court jury.'

Mr Clegg backed a move to equip all armed police with cameras so such events are recorded.

He added: 'This is really, really difficult, it is a very, very difficult time. It is a time of great anxiety in Tottenham.

'We are going to all have to work really hard that at moments of tension like this people feel their voices are heard and that disagreements play out peacefully.'

David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham said parts of the verdict were ‘perplexing and seemingly contradictory’.

But he added: ‘This was a ten-person jury that heard over three months of evidence, testimonies and expert accounts and took seven days to reach a decision.

‘The issues have been thoroughly discussed and debated, and the jury’s findings should be respected.’

Today the Metropolitan Police continued efforts to rebuild trust over the controversial killing, which sparked a wave of rioting and looting across the country.

Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe met political representatives from the capital and prominent figures from Tottenham to discuss how the police can improve relationships.

Speaking after meeting Britain's most senior police officer, the Rev Nims Obunge, who buried Mr Duggan, said: 'We had an interesting meeting with the commissioner and he has clearly expressed concern about what would happen in Tottenham.

'We've just looked at the best way forward to ensure that the concerns that the family genuinely have about the verdict can be expressed in an effective fashion at the vigil this weekend, and we also want to ensure that policing within our community is done in a healthy fashion.

'The message from the family is that this vigil is intended to be a very peaceful vigil. We expect that anybody who would come would stand with the family. It is a vigil in remembrance and respecting the life and death of Mark Duggan. His children will be there, and we don't expect anybody to come to where Mark Duggan's children are to create unrest or anarchy.'

The 29-year-old's family reacted furiously yesterday as jurors concluded that he was lawfully killed by police.

Mr Nims, who was with them at the Royal Courts of Justice as the conclusions were revealed, said: 'They are hurting. It was a very challenging verdict. Hearing that your son was unarmed at the time he was shot, that the jury believed he was unarmed at the time he was shot, that was challenging for the family.'

The final hour of Mark Duggan's life

A firearm which was found six metres away from the spot where Mark Duggan was killed

A firearm which was found six metres away from the spot where Mark Duggan was killed

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