Last updated 12:26, Thursday, 06 November 2008

IT was a catastrophic error. But the inquest currently taking place into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes is the fifth investigation we have been through since his killing three years ago.

Police mistook the Brazilian for a suicide bomber who had targeted London the day before.

Of course it was a disastrous mistake. But there seems to be a need to endlessly repeat evidence and apportion blame.

London was in the grip of fear after the bombings. It wasn’t a panic confined to the public. The security services were clearly on such a high state of alert that they got it wrong in believing they were preventing another terror outrage.

But is spending £2million on the current hearing and turning the whole tragic episode over and over going to do any real good? I doubt it.

The real killers of Mr de Menezez aren’t facing the inquiry. They were the bombers whose actions 24 hours earlier terrified the public and prompted the blunder which led to the death of an innocent man.

Instead of pursuing an anti-police campaign, ought we not be more concerned that an international terrorist has just been released from prison yet can’t be deported because of the Human Rights Act?

Or than one of Osama bin Laden’s closest allies is allowed to remain in the UK because it’s feared he may not get a fair trial on terror charges in his native country?