17
McCANN AND OTHERS v. THE UNITED KINGDOM JUDGMENT
Constable Goodman to recall the duty police car. The Controller recorded
the call at 15.41 hours. He radioed the patrol car informing the officers that
they were to return immediately. He did not know where the car was at the
time or what the reason for the recall was. When Inspector Revagliatte who
was in the car asked if it was urgent, the Controller told him it was a priority
message and further instructions would be given on arrival.
66. At the time of the message, the police car was waiting in a queue of
traffic in Smith Dorrien Avenue. Revagliatte told the driver to put on siren
and beacons. The car pulled out into the opposite lane to overtake the queue
of traffic. They cut back into the proper lane at the lights at the junction with
Winston Churchill Avenue and continued north along Winston Churchill
Avenue in the outer lane. As they passed the Shell garage, the four
policemen in the car heard shots. Revagliatte instructed the driver to
continue. When he looked back, he saw two persons lying on the pavement.
The car went round the sundial roundabout and returned to stop on the other
side of the road opposite the Shell garage. The police siren was on during
this time. When the car stopped, the four policemen got out, three of them
jumping the central barrier and Revagliatte walking round to arrive at the
scene.
67. Officers P, Q and R were in the vicinity of the Shell petrol station and
also arrived quickly on the scene of the McCann and Farrell shootings.
Officers P and R placed their jackets over the bodies. Officer P dropped his
gun while crouched and had to replace it in his holster. Officer Q and
Revagliatte carried out a search of the bodies.
10. Eyewitness accounts of the McCann and Farrell shootings
68. The shooting took place on a fine Sunday afternoon, when there were
many people out on the streets and the roads were busy with traffic. The
Shell garage was also overlooked by a number of apartment buildings. The
shooting consequently was witnessed by a considerable number of people,
including police officers involved in the operation, police officers who
happened to pass the area on other duties, members of the surveillance team
and a number of civilians and off-duty policemen.
69. Almost all the witnesses who gave evidence at the inquest recalled
that Farrell had carried her bag under her right arm, not as stated by Soldiers
A and B under her left arm. The Coroner commented in his summing-up to
the jury that this might have had significance with regard to the alleged
justification of the soldiers for opening fire, namely, the alleged movement
of the bag across the front of her body.
70. More significantly, three witnesses, two of whom gave an interview
on the controversial television documentary concerning the events "Death
on the Rock", gave evidence which suggested that McCann and Farrell had
been shot while lying on the ground. They stated that they had witnessed the