Gun murder mother to fight on

by Cindi John
BBC News Online community affairs reporter

A leading anti-gun campaigner says she still hopes someone will be convicted of killing her son despite the collapse of the murder trial.

The case against Andrew Wanoghu was dropped after two key witnesses refused to give evidence.

Charges against Damien Cope's alleged killer were dropped

It had been claimed the victim, Damien Cope, named Mr Wanoghu as his killer to one of the witnesses as he lay dying.

Ms Cope has urged other witnesses to the shooting outside Browns nightclub, central London, in 2002 to come forward

She said: "This is far from over. We're appealing again for any witnesses who have not yet come forward who may think their evidence is irrelevant.

"Any small thing can be vital and I will fight to the end of my days to make sure there is a conviction for the murder of my son."

'Devastated'

Damien Cope's death was investigated by officers from Operation Trident, a specialist gun crimes unit.

Ms Cope said officers from Operation Trident had been as "devastated" as her family at the collapse of the case.

The collapse of this case will make other mothers who have lost their children lose hope, and they mustn't lose hope Lucy Cope

"I don't know if I can repair the damage that's been caused to my family. We'd begun to have hope that justice would be served, that was taken from under our feet," she told BBC News Online.

Ms Cope disputed medical evidence that it was "unlikely in the extreme" her son had been able to name his killer before he died - another factor in the decision to drop the case.

"Medical experts have been wrong in the past and I'm going to be asking for the coroners and the medical reports so I may take them to an independent person.

"The collapse of this case will make other mothers who have lost their children lose hope and they mustn't lose hope," she said.

The anti-gun group she set up after her son's death, Mothers Against Guns, would continue to fight for a change in the 'double jeopardy' law and for longer sentences for gun offences, she added.

Under the "double jeopardy" rule in English law, nobody can face the same charges twice.

The Metropolitan Police has issued a statement saying it "accepted the decision" of the court to acquit Mr Wanoghu, of Deptford, south-east London,

"All lines of enquiry have been exhausted, however, any new evidence that comes to light will be considered," the statement added.