News
Police chief in court over [Grainger] shooting
(July 11, 2014)
source: The Guardian
published: 9 July 2014
A chief constable [appeared] in court on Wednesday over health and safety breaches after a man was shot dead by one of his officers.
Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester police (GMP), [appeared] at Liverpool crown court in relation to a charge of failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 over the shooting of Anthony Grainger in March 2012.
Fahy has been charged as the “corporation sole” for the force, a legal status that means he is a representative of GMP but does not share criminal liability. He pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing.
Father-of-two Grainger, 36, was shot by a GMP marksman after his car was stopped as part of a planned operation in Culcheth, Cheshire. He was unarmed and there were no weapons in the car.
The Crown Prosecution Service has decided the marksman should not face charges for murder or manslaughter because a jury would be likely to accept that he believed his actions were necessary.