Derek Bennett was shot dead by officers of the Metropolitan Police at Marston House, Angell Town Estate on Monday 16th July 2001.On 15 December 2004 an inquest decided that he had been lawfully killed, and the same decision was given after an appeal.
Newspaper and media articles:
Man police shot 'lawfully killed'
Officers who shot dead a man brandishing a gun-shaped lighter acted lawfully, the High Court has ruled. (BBC, 3 Feb 2006)
Gun lighter man lawfully killed
A verdict of lawful killing has been returned by the jury in the inquest of a man shot dead by police while carrying a lighter shaped like a gun.
Derek Bennett, 29, was hit four times by two marksmen in Brixton, south London, on 16 July 2001. The officers said they thought the gun was real. (BBC, 16 Dec 2004)
Shot dad's 'gun brag'
A dad shot dead by police who thought his gunshaped lighter was a pistol had bragged "it's the real thing", a court heard.
Easton Chambers told an inquest he called the police fearing Derek Bennett, 29, was about to "do something evil" with the replica weapon after the pair had smoked cannabis in a parked car. (South London Press, 15 Nov 2004)
Shooting police anonymity ruling
Two police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man are entitled to remain anonymous when giving evidence at his inquest, a court has ruled.
Derek Bennett, 29, was shot dead in Brixton, south London, in July 2001 after officers thought his gun-shaped cigarette lighter was a handgun. (BBC, 2 Nov 2004)
Cops involved in Bennett shooting granted anonymity
The High Court has granted anonymity to two cops involved in the fatal shooting of a father-of-four when they give evidence at a forthcoming inquest. (South London Press, 29 Jun 2004)
Police won't face charges over killing cigarette lighter man
...The Crown Prosecution Service says there is "insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of a conviction" against anyone involved in the death of Derek Bennett in 2001. (Ananova, 25 Mar 2003)
Police force demonstrates its new baton gun
Plastic bullets are set to be fired by police on mainland UK for the first time. Bedfordshire police has been deploying the baton gun for two weeks. (Ananova, 27 Nov 2001)
British police get plastic bullets for first time
Hundreds of British police officers are to be armed for the first time with guns that fire plastic bullets....
The surprise move follows a wide-ranging review into recent deaths caused by police shootings... (Sunday Times, 4 Nov 2001) 'Police attack in Brixton during Bennett demo,' reports the Standard and SLP
Police probe attack caught on CCTV , (Standard, 2 Oct 2001)
Another appeal for witnesses (Ananova, 6 Sep 2001)
The Met's 50,000 volt gun alternative
REPORTER Glenn Campbell became a human guinea pig to test the controverisal electronic stun gun to be tried out by British police. (Mirror, 23 Aug 2001)
| Police Complaints Authority asks witnesses to contact them on 01661 869603 or info@pca.gov.uk |
AN EMOTIONALLY charged memorial service heard tributes from the family and friends of a man who died in a hail of bullets fired by cops. (South London Press, 14 Aug 2001)
Police dogs to get bullet-proof vests to combat gun crime
POLICE chiefs are considering deploying specially trained dogs equipped with bullet-proof vests as a new weapon in the war against gun crime. (Not a good choice of headline, I'd say.) (Sunday Times, 12 Aug 2001)
Witness appeal over Bennett shooting
An appeal has been issued to find two people who police believe saw the fatal shooting of a black man by armed officers. (BBC, 10 Aug 2001)
Call for public shootings inquiry
Derek Bennett's mother, interviewed with her husband Ernest on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, asked for a Public Inquiry into her son's death. She also complained that the family has received no contact from local MP, Kate Hoey (BBC Today, 9 Aug 2001). BBC Today has a recording of the interview. Needs Real Player.
Police 'slipping into US-style gun culture'
Police risk slipping into a US-style "gun culture" where officers are routinely armed, the Liberal Democrats warn. (Ananova, 5 Jul 2001)
Stun guns blamed for string of US deaths
... The Metropolitan Police is to equip its armed response units with tasers by Christmas, after an outcry when firearms officers in Brixton shot dead Derek Bennett, 29, who was waving a gun-shaped cigarette lighter. (Telegraph, 5 Aug 2001)
Non-lethal weapon
The Metropolitan Police is considering the use of stun guns as a non-lethal way of disabling would-be attackers from a safe distance. (Times, 1 Aug 2001)
Met considers stun gun option
The Metropolitan Police is considering introducing stun guns to protect its officers from the threat of criminal attack. (Ananova, 1 Aug 2001)
Police 'lacked the guts' for Brixton shooting inquiry
SCOTLAND YARD has accused some provincial police forces of lacking the “guts” to take on the highly sensitive investigation into the shooting of a black man by London police marksmen. (Times, 30 Jul 2001)
Demoralised police quit armed unit
Elite police firearms units are facing a recruitment crisis that threatens to reduce dramatically the numbers of armed police available to patrol Britain's streets. (Observer, 29 Jul 2001)
| "94 per cent of people think police should be given tranquilliser guns instead of real firearms" Result of South London Press online survey (SLP, 27 Jul 2001) |
Cop calls for united Brixton community
A TOP cop has called for the community to unite after a night of rioting which threatened to rip through the heart of Brixton. (South London Press, 24 Jul 2001)
Brixton violence after rally over police killing
Disorder erupted on Friday night on the streets of Brixton, south London, after a demonstration in the wake of the fatal shooting by armed police of a man with an imitation gun. (Independent, 21 Jul 2001)
Young hoodlums make fake guns latest accessory
IMITATION guns are increasingly being used by young men for self-defence in a dangerous fashion that could lead to more deaths like Derek Bennett’s, senior policemen said yesterday. (Times, 21 Jul 2001)
Two police hurt in Brixton unrest
THREE police officers were injured last night when 120 youths overturned cars and smashed shop windows hours after a peaceful protest over the fatal shooting by police of a man carrying a gun-shaped cigarette lighter. (Times, 21 Jul 2001)
Violence after police shooting demo
Police are meeting community leaders in Brixton after disturbances broke out following a demonstration against a fatal shooting by police. (BBC, 21 Jul 2001)
Trigger for police shooting
Reader's letters (Guardian, 20 Jul 2001)
Pressure on police over 'unjustified' killing of man with lighter
Concerns mounted on Thursday that armed police used "unjustified and unlawful" force when they fatally shot a black man in the back. (Independent, 20 Jul 2001)
Brixton shooting: inquest adjourned
An inquest into the death of a man shot six times by police while carrying a gun-shaped cigarette lighter has been opened and adjourned until February next year. (ITN, 19 Jul 2001)
Brixton shooting: inquest opens
AN INQUEST into the death of a man shot six times by police while carrying a gun-shaped cigarette lighter has been opened and adjourned until February. (South London Press, 19 Jul 2001)
Police asked for 'total recall'
The investigation into the shooting of Derek Bennett will concentrate on whether the police sergeant who fired the deadly shots used excessive force. (Evening Standard, 18 Jul 2001)
Calls grow for gun alternatives
CALLS are growing for police to be equipped with tranquilliser guns after a man brandishing a fake weapon was shot dead in Brixton yesterday. (South London Press, 18 Jul 2001)
Family speaks out over shooting
RELATIVES of Derek Bennett - who was shot dead by police in Brixton on Monday - have described him as a man who had everything to live for. (South London Press, 18 Jul 2001)
No longer available online: Hostage praises gun police - A terrified bystander held hostage by a maniac with a gun-shaped cigarette lighter praised cops yesterday for shooting the man dead. (Sun, 18 Jul 2001)
'Gun' held by shot man was a replica lighter
The first frantic call to the police came at 3.05pm on Monday. A row had broken out on a south London street and a heavily built Rastafarian was brandishing a silver handgun. (Independent, 18 Jul 2001)
Tough controls on guns are in the police's own interests
A tragic coincidence – two men shot dead by police marksmen in less than a week – draws attention to a broader truth. Unnecessary deaths continue to be a bleak reality in this country today. (Independent, 18 Jul 2001)
Calls grow for tranquiliser guns
(Ananova, 17 Jul 2001)
Others:
Ananova
BBC
Guardian
Ananova
Standard
SLP
ITN
Ind
BBC
Times
Tel
Guardian 1 and 2
Ananova
ITN
BBC
Standard
Guardian
3 Mar 2006