Policeman vows to bring Fletcher killer to justice

A POLICE officer who held WPc Yvonne Fletcher as she lay dying has vowed to bring a private prosecution over the shooting as friends gathered for a service to mark 38 years since her death.

The 25-year-old Metropolitan Police officer was shot while policing a demonstration against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the former Libyan leader in St James’s Square, central London, on April 17 1984.

Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk, a former Gaddafi aide, was arrested in 2015 in connection with her death but was later released without charge after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said no prosecution was possible due to evidence being withheld.

In November 2021, John Murray, a retired police officer, won a civil claim against Mr Mabrouk, as part of his decades-long attempt to find “justice” for his dead friend. A High Court judge found Mr Mabrouk, who denied any wrongdoing, was jointly liable for her shooting. Mr Murray, 66, vowed that he would not stop until Mr Mabrouk had been convicted of her murder.

The Home Office and CPS have been contacted for comment.