'MISTAKES LED TO MENEZES DEATH'

The officer apologised for not telling commanders he was "within striking distance" when the innocent Brazilian got off a bus near Stockwell Tube station in south London.

But he had not heard radio traffic from his colleagues saying incorrectly that no firearms team members were able to get there in time, the inquest into Mr de Menezes's death was told.

The 27-year-old Brazilian was shot seven times in the head at point-blank range inside Stockwell Tube on July 22 2005 after being mistaken for failed suicide bomber Hussain Osman.

The marksman, identified only by the code name C12, said he was waiting outside the station and could have stopped Mr de Menezes before he went inside.

C12, a member of Scotland Yard's elite CO19 specialist firearms unit, spoke on Friday of his "frustration" that the Brazilian was allowed to enter the station.

He was unaware that an unarmed arrest squad was initially ordered to stop Mr de Menezes and was only called off at the last minute, the inquest heard.

And he did not hear a message ordering C019 to stop Mr de Menezes directly from the Scotland Yard control room.

He only received the instruction later from a firearms adviser on the ground code-named Trojan 84, the hearing was told.

C12 went on to apologise for not telling bosses he was "within striking distance" when Mr de Menezes got off a bus near the station. He also admitted he was wrong to "assume" the Brazilian had been positively identified as Osman.