A review of the investigation into the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 concluded two years ago that there was sufficient evidence to charge two suspects, according to a report last night.
The 2007 review, commissioned by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and sent to Sue Hemming, head of counter-terrorism at the organisation, said two men could be charged with conspiracy to cause death, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
Fletcher, 25, was killed by a gunshot fired from within the Libyan embassy in St James's Square in April 1984 as she helped to police a demonstration outside. No one has ever been charged with the killing. According to the Daily Telegraph, which reported it had seen a leaked copy of the CPS review, carried out by a senior prosecutor from a Commonwealth country, it was finished in April 2007, six weeks before Tony Blair travelled to Libya for talks with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, which brought a resumption in trade links.
The 150-page report said there was not enough evidence to charge anyone with murder, but two men who allegedly played central roles in it by issuing orders to the students who had assumed control of the embassy could be charged with conspiracy. Neither had diplomatic immunity and they are believed to have escaped from the embassy shortly before it was surrounded by police.
A CPS spokeswoman said: "The investigation into the death of Yvonne Fletcher is ongoing and there is still evidence to be gathered, so the CPS has yet to receive a file containing the admissible evidence from a completed investigation. It would only be at that point that we could give final advice on prosecution."
In 2007, she added, the Metropolitan police "sought further advice in relation to their ongoing investigation", which was given. This concluded that while a case could be mounted, it would be advisable to review some evidence and investigate other areas further, the spokeswoman said.
A Met spokeswoman said: "The murder investigation has always remained open and the Met remains committed to finding the people responsible. Detectives remains in regular contact with PC Fletcher's family and update them on developments."
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