Officers who shot man dead ask for anonymity

Police officers who shot a man dead say their safety will be put at risk if their identities are revealed during an upcoming hearing.

Sergii Kuzmenko was killed by two firearms officers from Cumbria Police when they were called to a house in Carlisle in December 2022, following reports of a man making threats to kill while a young child was present.

At a pre-inquest review hearing in Cockermouth, legal representatives for the officers applied for anonymity orders preventing their identities from being made public when a full hearing is staged.

Coroner Kirsty Gomersal will make a ruling at a later date and the case was adjourned.

The officers have also requested they be able to give their evidence behind a screen.

Forty-year-old Mr Kuzmenko, who was Ukrainian, died from "multiple" wounds after bullets were fired by the pair, referred to as officers C and L, on Borland Avenue, in the Botcherby area of the city, on 19 December.

Samuel Green KC, representing Officer C, told the review that revealing his name would lead to "serious distress" and "fears it [would] result in stigma" for him and his family.

It would also "harm" the officer's ability to carry out his covert role, which needed to be carried out "discreetly", and would likely compromise his career prospects, he added.

Mr Green said a "wider consideration" would be the impact on the recruitment and retention of firearms specialists, as it "might" make volunteers less likely to come forward.

Hugh Davies KC, speaking on behalf of Officer L, shared similar concerns.

He said identification would have "a disproportionate effect" on the private lives of the officer's family.

The coroner said it was her intention that footage from body cameras worn by Officer C and two of his colleagues would be played at the inquest - with some pixelation necessary if anonymity was granted.

Miss Gomersal described the recordings as likely being "the best evidence of what happened".

Alongside the anonymity applications, she will also make a decision on whether to hear the case herself or appoint a jury.

The review hearing was told Mr Kuzmenko's family might benefit from a more detailed conclusion that coroners are able to deliver.

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