Pc murder breakthrough
Detectives will today charge a man over the brutal murder of a police officer which shocked London a decade ago.
The 34-year-old suspect was arrested at 9am today by police investigating the double murder of Pc Patrick Dunne and club doorman Kwame Danso. He will be charged this afternoon.
Beat officer Pc Dunne was gunned down by a gang of suspected drug dealers in Clapham, south London, just after 9pm on October 20, 1993.
The 44-year-old officer was killed by a single bullet to the chest shortly after Danso, a 31-year-old small-time drug dealer, was shot six times by the armed gang at his home.
Danso, described by friends as a "gentle giant", was watching a football match when he answered the door to three black men armed with baseball bats and two handguns, who fired a total of 12 shots at him.
Pc Dunne was dealing with a routine inquiry at the house across the street when he heard the shots.
As he went outside to investigate, he was gunned down by the gang, who fired celebratory shots in the air as they left laughing.
In 2001, eight years after the killings, detectives keen to capitalise on advances in DNA technology reopened the investigation and put up a £50,000 which matched the £50,000 offered by a national newspaper.
Three men were charged in connection with the shooting in 1993 but the charges were dropped the following year.
The murder of Pc Dunne shocked people across Britain and 800 mourners, including the then shadow home secretary Tony Blair attended his funeral.
Diana, Princess of Wales, was among those touched by his death and sent flowers to his mother Betty.
On the tenth anniversary of Pc Dunne's death last year his brother Stephen spoke of the family's sorrow.
He said: "Our feelings are still the same. They say time heals but I think it covers up, it doesn't heal. We remember what happened as if it was yesterday."
Speaking at the Society of Editors conference today Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens confirmed that a man would be charged today with the murder of Pc Dunne.
He said the officer had been "gunned down and assassinated".
Sir John added: "Round about 2pm today we will be charging an individual for the murder of Patrick Dunne."
