Today sees the start of the prosecution of London's Metropolitan Police under Health and Safety laws over the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes last July. The first hearing is this morning in the City of Westminster magistrates court. With all the brouhaha about the latest foiled terror plot, however, there is no mention of this story yet on the BBC news website.

Mr de Menezes was wrongly identified as a terrorist suspect in a bungled surveillance operation after the July bombings, then tailed for 20 minutes while he rode a bus before eventually being shot dead by police after he boarded a tube train.

Mr de Menezes was not challenged by officers, did not run from them and was not wearing bulky clothing. He was sitting quietly in a tube carriage. One officer rushed in to restrain him while eleven rounds were fired at point-blank range, of which seven hit and killed Mr de Menezes.

His case raises so many questions about the competence of those involved and the effectiveness of their procedures. If he was such a threat, why was he allowed to ride the bus? Why was his identity not confimed, or erroneously confirmed, before the shoot-to-kill order was authorised? (Apparently a key surveillance officer was taking a leak at a crucial moment...).

But most important of all: the Crown Prosecution Service has decided that possible violations of Health and Safety regs are the only charges that can be brought in this case. In what supposedly just society can no-one be held culpable of more serious charges when an innocent and obviously unarmed man is shot seven times in the head at point blank range without warning?