The cousin of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead by police who mistook him for a terror suspect, has said undercover officers “invaded my privacy” when they spied on her campaign for justice.
Patricia da Silva was sharing a flat with Mr de Menezes in south London when the 27-year-old was killed at Stockwell Tube station, in London, two weeks after the 7/7 terror attacks, on 22 July 2005.
She told the long-running undercover policing inquiry she felt “anger and pain” over lies and misinformation put out by police after the shooting, including that her cousin was acting suspiciously and had jumped a barrier, refusing to stop.
Ms da Silva said she believed the investigation into his death was influenced by racism “because even at the time they compared my cousin to the terrorist they were looking for”.
Mr de Menezes was shot seven times in the head the day after police mistakenly identified him as one of the suspects for the failed 21 July 2005 bombings after finding an address written on a gym membership in one of the unexploded bags used by the bombers.
His cousin became tearful when she recalled setting up the Justice for Jean campaign, which she was later “surprised” to learn had its own Special Branch reference number.
The inquiry heard supporters and the campaign were spied on by multiple undercover police officers, one of whom filed a report on a public meeting where she gave a speech.
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The same officer even posted supportive messages on an online forum using the alias Boogie Boy.
“I feel it’s strange, invasive and unnecessary,” she said, giving evidence with the help of a Portuguese interpreter.
“I feel like they invaded my privacy”.
The inquiry, which began in 2015, has already cost more than £100m and was launched after a series of accusations against undercover officers from the secretive Metropolitan Police units the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
It has heard how officers deceived women into sexual relationships, used the identities of dead children and spied on family justice campaigns, including Justice for Jean and the Stephen Lawrence campaign.
“I’m very sorry this happened to us and not only our family but the other families as well,” said Ms da Silva.
“I never thought our campaign and our family would be (targeted by) espionage by the same people that did what they did.”
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No officers were ever prosecuted for the killing of Mr de Menezes, but the Metropolitan Police was fined £175,000 for breaching health and safety laws.
She said she first received an apology from the Met over officers spying on the campaign in October last year in a letter from Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell.
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The letter said: “We recognise the profound distress caused by the actions of the SDS and the lasting impact this has had on you and your family.
“The commissioner is committed to ensuring that our full apology is not only heartfelt but also grounded in a complete and accurate understanding of the facts.”
But because there is still more evidence to be heard “it was considered premature to issue a full and personal apology at this stage,” it said.
