A retired police officer who cradled his dying colleague after she was shot during a Libyan embassy protest is bringing a private prosecution against one of the suspects.
PC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was gunned down as she and Met Police colleagues controlled a crowd protesting against Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
No one has ever been brought to justice over the shooting, and on the 40th anniversary of her death the Met says it has no active lines of inquiry and a “low” chance of further evidence emerging.
But John Murray, a colleague of PC Fletcher, is launching a private prosecution against one of the suspects, Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk.
The retired officer, who was with PC Fletcher in her last moments, will go to court to demand a criminal case against Mabrouk on a charge of murder.
PC Fletcher died when shots were fired from within the embassy in St James’s Square, central London on April 17, 1984.
After a ten-day stand-off, Margaret Thatcher's government allowed all the Libyans to leave the embassy because they were protected by diplomatic immunity.
In 2015, the Met arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, but the force says most of the evidence against him would have been inadmissible in court “for national security reasons”.
In 2017, that case was abandoned as the CPS decided there was insufficient evidence for a criminal charge.
Two years later, Mr Murray sued Mr Mabrouk for damages in the High Court, and a judge found him “jointly liable” for the shootings – although he had not been among the actual gunmen.
Mr Mabrouk did not take part in the court action, but sent a letter denying wrongdoing. However the judge found he was a “prime mover” in the incident, and awarded Mr Murray symbolic damages of £1.
“The terrorist murder of Yvonne Fletcher 40 years ago, on 17 April 1984, was one of the worst atrocities executed by Gaddafi”, Mr Murray said.
“To this very day, the quest for justice for Yvonne continues and, although we have had historic victories in both the high court and appeal court, the man who allegedly orchestrated Yvonne’s murder continues to live freely.
“If the CPS cannot or will not proceed with criminal charges, the only option available is to embark on our own legal action in the criminal courts.”
If a private prosecution is brought to court, the Director of Public Prosecution has the option to take over the case at any time.
It could then be stopped, or pursued to a full criminal trial. Alternatively, Mr Murray could continue to bring the case as the prosecutor.
Mr Murray is seeking a court order that Mr Mabrouk should be brought to the UK to face trial, but faces the difficulty of how any order would be enforced.
On the anniversary of the shooting, retired police officers were planning to gather at the memorial for PC Fletcher.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley visited the scene of the shooting and laid a wreath in the fallen officer’s memory.
“Yvonne was just 25 when she was callously murdered. She was simply doing her job, policing protest, not unlike what many officers do so often today”, hesaid.
“She had her whole career and her whole life ahead of her.
“Today, 40 years on from that terrible day, I join with all in the Met and across policing in paying tribute to her, in recognising her sacrifice and in keeping her family, friends and colleagues in our thoughts.”
In a statement issued through the Met, PC Fletcher’s family said: "Over the years Yvonne has always been in our thoughts along with all those affected on that fateful day.
"We would like to thank the Metropolitan Police for their continued support."
