Letters just released reveal how Britain’s top policeman Ian Blair delayed an independent investigation into the police shooting of an innocent Brazilian man. It has emerged that two hours after the shooting, which came the day after failed bombings in London, Blair tried to stop the Independent Police Complaints Commission from having access to the scene.

27-year-old Jean Charles de Menezes was shot in the head seven times by officers who mistook him for a would-be suicide bomber. As the victim’s family visit London demanding justice, Blair’s letters show he tried to block independent investigators by claiming the counter-terrorism inquiry had to take priority. He told the Home Office he wanted to suspend the law that states an immediate independent inquiry should begin after a fatal police shooting. His actions were overturned by the Home Office. Blair denies claims of an attempted cover-up.

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