Jimmy Mubenga: Unlawfully killed. Official.

After four days of deliberation, a jury delivered a majority verdict of nine to one that the Angolan man Jimmy Mubenga was unlawfully killed.

Mubenga died after being restrained by three G4S guards whilst being deported from the UK.

In one of the most distressing cases of its kind, passengers heard the man crying out: “They’re going to kill me”, and “I can’t breath.”

Adienna Kamana, Mr Mubenga’s wife, was relieved with the verdict yet still heart broken. She said outside the court:

"They treated my husband worse than if he was an animal."

The jury foreman said:

"Based on the evidence we have heard, we find that Mr Mubenga was pushed or held down by one or more of the guards, causing his breathing to be impeded. We find that they were using unreasonable force and acting in an unlawful manner. The fact that Mr Mubenga was pushed or held down, or a combination of the two, was a significant, that is more than minimal, cause of death The guards, we believe, would have known that they would have caused Mr Mubenga harm in their actions, if not serious harm."

The guards have always denied they forced Mubenga with his head down so he couldn’t breath.

However, Deborah Cole from the campaign organization Inquest told the BBC that this was a tragedy waiting to happen. The Home Office had good information that G4S were using practices that were likely to cause serious harm.

Earlier this year the CPS decided that the three Guards would not face prosecution. However, in light of yesterday’s ruling, the CPS have said they will look again at whether charges should be served.

Simon Woolley