Inquest jury sees video of shooting

Dec 13 2007 by Chloe Griffiths, The Journal

A JURY was yesterday shown a video of the moment a police marksman shot a man dead at his home following an armed stand-off.

Grainy images showed Mark Scott at the window of his house in Kimberley Gardens, Stocksfield, Northumberland.

An inquest jury at Newcastle Civic Centre then watched as the 42-year-old gesticulated wildly out the window, before producing a home-made firearm.

A second later he could be seen crumpling to the ground.

A post-mortem examination showed a single gunshot wound had punctured his lung, killing him instantly.

Former police marksman Mark Melvin had previously told the inquest how he had fired the fatal shot to protect himself and his colleagues. He told the hearing on Tuesday he did not regret his actions.

PC Melvin, who has since moved to Canada, said: “I was looking through the sights of the rifle at him and he was looking down the shotgun at me.

“I was terrified. I thought I was going to die.

“I squeezed the trigger as hard as I could. I had no option but to fire.”

Armed police had surrounded Scott’s house on July 16, 2005, after he was seen beating his former wife Shirley Scott in the street, before threatening a police officer, who tried to intervene, with a gun.

Yesterday several of those officers told the court how members of Northumbria Police’s Fire Arms Unit had tried to reason with Scott – urging him to come down, but he had refused, shouting “it’s too late”.

PC John Murray said: “I told him he was going to be arrested on suspicion of assault and he should come down and he told us to go away.”

He added that Scott later asked if they had children, before warning them not to come closer.

During the 43-minute video, Scott could be seen behind an upstairs window, which he smashed with his fist during the stand-off.

About 16 minutes later he could be seen approaching the window, shouting and waving his arms around, before holding the home-made weapon out of the broken window towards the gathered officers.

PC Murray said: “Then I heard a crack and saw Mr Scott disappear. I knew immediately he had been shot. The way he fell – it’s impossible to replicate that – it is like someone has taken a trap door away.”

PC Murray added: “Although I did not perceive any threat to myself, if I had been in his place (PC Melvin’s) at the time I would have taken the same shot.” Seconds after the shooting, armed officers forced their way into the house where they found Scott slumped on the floor.

A home-made firearm made of metal tubing, plates, nuts and springs, which was shown to the jury yesterday, lay underneath him.

An explosive device was also found, while a noose was hanging from a staircase banister.

Officers spent more than half an hour trying to revive Scott before he was taken by police helicopter to Newcastle’s General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that evening.

Toxicology reports showed he had been drinking and had taken cocaine before the shooting.

Home Office pathologist Dr James Sunter said Scott had died instantly from “catastrophic” damage to his lung.

Newcastle coroner David Mitford will sum up the evidence, before the jury of 10 retire to consider their verdict.

The inquest continues.