The High Court has today ruled that Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk, a Libyan national who formed part of a pro-Gaddafi “revolutionary committee” which took control of the Libyan embassy in London, was liable for the notorious murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher on 17 April 1984. PC Fletcher was shot while policing an anti-Gaddafi demonstration outside the Libyan embassy that day.
The claim was brought by John Murray, the former police partner and close friend of PC Fletcher, who was standing beside her when she was fatally shot. The High Court found that the shooting represented an assault on Mr Murray and a battery against PC Fletcher which has directly caused Mr Murray to suffer psychiatric injuries. It also found that Mr Mabrouk was part of a small group of men who controlled the embassy on behalf of Col. Gaddafi and that he had participated and “clearly assisted” in a common design to shoot protesters that day. In accordance with Mr Murray’s wishes, the High Court ordered Mr Mabrouk to pay vindicatory damages in the nominal sum of £1.
Darryl Hutcheon, Jessica Jones and Phillippa Kaufmann QC acted for the claimant in this case.