G4S: Deported Man Unlawfully Killed On Plane

The Crown Prosecution Service is to reconsider its decision not to bring criminal charges after an inquest ruled a father-of-five was unlawfully killed while being deported.

Jimmy Mubenga, 46, was about to return to his native Angola on a British Airways flight in October 2010 when the three G4S security guards restrained him.

The plane was halted on the runway at Heathrow Airport for Mr Mubenga to be given urgent medical care.

He later died in hospital of cardio-respiratory collapse, where the heart stops beating and a person stops breathing.

The three G4S guards - Terence Hughes, Stuart Tribelnig and Colin Kaler - who were accompanying Mr Mubenga on the flight said he was restrained when he attacked one of the guards after boarding the plane.

After four days of deliberations, the jury at Isleworth Crown Court recorded by a majority decision of nine to one that the deportee was unlawfully killed.

A CPS spokesperson said: "Following this verdict, we will consider our original decision in light of any new evidence or information from the inquest, including any conclusions reached by the jury."

No criminal charges have ever been brought against the security guards or G4S.

Returning the unlawful killing verdict, the jury foreman said: "Based on the evidence we have heard, we have found Mr Mubenga was pushed or held down by one or more of the guards.

"We find that this was unreasonable force.

"The guards would have known that they would have caused harm to Mr Mubenga, if not serious harm."

Other passengers on board the flight said they heard Mr Mubenga wailing for help after saying he could not breathe, with one of the guards apparently replying: "Yes, you can."

Mr Mubenga and his wife, Adrienne Makenda Kambana, had been living in Ilford, east London, after arriving in the UK from Angola in 1994.

He was applying to stay in the UK permanently when it was decided he should be deported after serving two years in jail for causing actual bodily harm.

Speaking outside the court, Mrs Kambana said her husband was treated "worse than an animal" and told Sky News that she felt let down by authorities.

"They let Jimmy down because they didn’t look at the case properly," she said.

"Jimmy was fit and healthy on the plane and came off dead. I cannot explain it. But today we got the answer."

She added: "He was neglected on the plane, no first aid, nothing at all. He was asking for help – no one listened to him."

Mrs Kambana also called for more monitoring of how deportations are handled so that a similar thing cannot happen again.

A G4S spokeswoman said Mr Mubenga's death was a "very tragic event" and that the welfare of those in its care was its top priority.

"We believe that at all times we acted appropriately and in full compliance with the terms of our contract with UKBA (UK Border Agency)," she said.