One of the police officers involved in the shooting of innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes on a London Underground train has been given a free holiday by his force, it emerged today.
Britain's most senior officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, personally authorised the break for the officer and his family.
He was one of the three undercover officers involved in the shooting of Mr de Menezes (27), at Stockwell Underground station last Friday. The electrician had fled when the officers asked him to stop and they believed he could be a suicide bomber.
The Brazilian, who had no connection to terrorism, was hit with a total of eight bullets, seven of them in the head. His body is being flown back to Brazil today for his funeral.
The three police officers have not been suspended but have been moved to non-firearm duties while the Independent Police Complaints Commission carries out an investigation, which is expected to take several months.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "An officer has had a break paid for by the Metropolitan Police, authorised by the Commissioner, to allow him to take his wife and family away from the family home."
Another of the officers is already on a family holiday.
Mr de Menezes's family have consulted lawyers about suing the police. He died after police introduced Operation Kratos, a shoot-to-kill policy for suicide bombers which is based on the theory that shooting a suspected bomber in the head is the only way to ensure that their device is not detonated.
Senior police officers have described Mr de Menezes's death as a "tragedy" but say they have no option but to continue with the policy. The independent investigation into the shooting is expected to focus on the police intelligence and communication process.
Mr de Menezes came out of a block of flats in Tulse Hill, south London, where police believed one of the bombers lived and which they had under surveillance. The Brazilian was followed for several miles, including on a bus, to Stockwell Tube station before he was challenged.
Yesterday, hundreds of relatives and friends marched along the cobbled streets of Mr de Menezes' home town of Gonzaga in central Brazil, demanding the arrest of the police involved.
Some of the protesters held banners denouncing British police as the real terrorists while other placards were adorned with snapshots of the victim.