Three G4S guards CLEARED of killing Angolan deportee on plane

Jimmy Mubenga with his wife Adrienne Makenda Kambana

Three G4S men have been cleared of killing a deportee who died of heart failure after he was allegedly restrained on a plane to take him away from Britain.

Terrence Hughes, 53, Colin Kaler, 52 and Stuart Tribelnig, 39, were accused of forcing Jimmy Mubenga’s head down, restricting his breathing for 36 minutes as the flight prepared to take off at Heathrow.

 

From left, Colin Kaler, 52, Stuart Trebelnig, 39, and Terrence Hughes, 53.

By the time the cabin crew raised the alarm on October 12, 2010, Mr Mubenga, a father of five, had collapsed and gone into cardiac arrest. He died later in hospital. Continue

Shocked passengers said they heard Mr Mubenga cry out 'I can’t breathe' as he was pinned down in his seat. He was already handcuffed from behind with his seatbelt on. But the guards denied restraining the 46-year-old, and insisted they never heard him shout that he was struggling to breathe.

The jury, which retired yesterday, found the three men not guilty of Mr Mubenga’s manslaughter following a six-week trial at the Old Bailey.

They were not told about racist texts found on the phones of both Hughes and Tribelnig after the judge ruled that the content of the messages was inadmissible.

Jurors were also not told that an inquest jury had already returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

Mr Mubenga’s widow Adrienne Makenda Kambana sat in Court 16 throughout most of the evidence. At times during the trial she was overcome with emotion but today she did not react as the jury returned its verdicts.

All three defendants were tearful as they left the dock.

In an unprecedented move, a section of the Boeing 777 with three rows of three seats was specially constructed inside the courtroom to demonstrate how Mr Mubenga allegedly died. Jurors were even invited to wear the rigid double lock handcuffs the guards used to experience for themselves how he would have felt.

Outlining the case, prosecutor Mark Dennis QC said that before boarding the plane, Mr Mubenga had been 'fit and healthy' and co-operative but had become upset after talking on his mobile in the toilet cubicle.

The guards were alleged to have responded by handcuffing him behind his back, forcing him into a seat and pinning him down leaning forwards in a position which affected his ability to breathe.

Ms Kambana, Mr Mubenga's widow, said: 'For the last four years I have fought for justice for Jimmy and our five children. I am shocked and disappointed by the jury's findings.

Mr Mubenga's widow outside the Old Bailey

'It is hard for me to understand how the jury reached this decision with all the overwhelming evidence that Jimmy said over and over that he could not breathe.

'I wish to thank those who worked so hard for justice for me and our children. My struggle continues. She added: 'Look what the jury has done to us. The story was so clear. It was so simple for them to be found guilty.

'I am so disappointed. I am not going to leave it like this. Jimmy was a good man, a good father and a good husband. I will fight, fight for justice for him.

'Jimmy died because he could not get help on that plane. It was a big shame. They were watching Jimmy die.'

Source: Daily Mail