For the friends and family of Jean Charles de Menezes, yesterday’s verdict provided the first glimpse of victory in their campaign for justice over his death.But as the Brazilian victims’ cousins, Erionaldo da Silva and Alex Pereira, lined up with a family friend, Asad Rehman, and the family’s solicitor, Harriet Wistrich, outside the Old Bailey, their emotions remained raw and angry.

They furiously denounced what they claimed had been the “smearing” of Mr de Menezes by the Metropolitan Police’s legal team during the trial. Ronald Thwaites, for the defence, had told jurors that cocaine found in Mr de Menezes’s bloodstream and the existence of a counterfeit stamp in his passport could explain why he had failed to comply with the armed officer’s instructions, forcing them to shoot.

Ms Wistrich said that these “smears” were “compounded by the cynical manipulation” of images of Mr de Menezes and Hussain Osman, the terrorist suspect whom police thought they were tracking on July 22, to make them appear similar.

She said: “Any attempt to salvage the image of the Metropolitan Police by those in senior positions publicly apologising for their errors has been undermined by the defence put forward.”

Ms Wistrich added that the Metropolitan Police stood accused of monumental failings. She said: “Questions must be asked of a firearms strategy that effectively became an unstoppable machine intent on extinguishing the life of an unarmed suspect.”

Asad Rehman, the de Menezes family campaign spokesman, added: “We must again ask if Sir Ian Blair has the confidence of his service and the public as a result of the serious failings which a jury today found him guilty.”

Mr da Silva said that Mr de Menezes’s mother, Maria, who was at home in Brazil, was pleased finally to secure a victory in their long-running fight. He added, however, that family members now awaited a “full and thorough” inquest where they could seek answers to all their questions about the fateful events of July 22, 2005.

Ms Wistrich said that the inquest — which is due to have its initial hearing on December 10 — would allow the family to “properly participate” for the first time in the investigation into Mr de Menezes’s death.

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