Police marksman cleared after 10-year Baker shooting battle

Scales of justice and gavel symbolize legal proceedings in police misconduct cases (Illustrative image - AI generated) Upday Stock Images

A misconduct hearing against a Metropolitan Police firearms officer who fatally shot a man during a foiled prison break has been thrown out. The case against officer W80 was dismissed on Wednesday at Palestra House after a panel found there was no case to answer.

Chairman Chris McKay told the hearing: "The decision of the panel is that we find there is no case for W80 to answer in these proceedings and accordingly the case against W80 is dismissed." He said full reasons would follow within five working days.

Background to the shooting

Officer W80 shot Jermaine Baker in December 2015 as police stopped a plot to snatch two prisoners from a van near Wood Green Crown Court. Baker, a father-of-two from Tottenham, was sitting in the front passenger seat of a stolen Audi A6 when he was shot at close range.

The counter-terrorism specialist firearms officer believed Baker was reaching for a gun. However, Baker was unarmed and an imitation firearm was later found in the back of the vehicle.

Complex legal proceedings

McKay described it as a "complex case" with more than 3,000 pages of documents presented to the panel. He said it was "important" for both W80 and Baker's family to know the outcome as soon as possible.

The misconduct proceedings began last week after years of legal battles. W80 was accused of breaching professional standards over the use of force, despite being a counter-terrorism firearms officer in the "highest tier" of armed officers who had been trained to carry a gun since 1998.

Years of legal battles

The discontinued hearing came nearly 10 years after Baker's death following extensive legal proceedings. Prosecutors said in 2017 there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges, but the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed that misconduct proceedings should take place.

This sparked a lengthy legal battle between the IOPC and the officer, who was supported by the Metropolitan Police. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in the IOPC's favour, allowing the misconduct hearing to proceed.

A separate public inquiry into Baker's death concluded in 2022 that he had been lawfully killed.

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.