Parents of murdered OO go to High Court

Parents of murdered optometrist Giles Van Colle have launched their landmark High Court claim for unlimited damages against Hertfordshire Police.
Van Colle's murder resulted in a Police Complaints Authority investigation into Hertfordshire Police and police officer detective constable David Ridley, taken before a disciplinary panel in June 2003, being found guilty of a breach of duty.
Now Irwin and Corinne Van Colle are suing the police, claiming breaches of two articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The trial at which Van Colle, 25, was to give evidence had been scheduled to take place at Luton Crown Court on November 27 2000. However, days before it could take place he was shot dead by Daniel Brougham, a laboratory technician who had worked for him and who in March 2002 was unanimously convicted by a jury at London's Old Bailey of murder.
Monica Carrs-Frisk, QC, counsel for Van Colle's parents who now own their son's former practice, GVC Opticians, Mill Hill Broadway, North West London, have brought the claim under EC human rights provisions relating to the 'right to life and the right to family life'.
She said that despite a history of escalating incidents in which witnesses were intimidated and threats were made to Van Colle and his family, the police, who she claimed were well aware of what was going on 'did nothing to protect the life of Giles'.
During the time he worked for Van Colle, between September and December 1999, Brougham was also known as Lee Jordan. He was arrested in February 2000, and police charged him with theft involving breach of trust and other charges linked to Van Colle.
He had pleaded not guilty to these and was due to face trial at Luton Crown Court, but before that he had threatened Van Colle and two other prosecution witnesses.
He was also said to have offered to pay witness Peter Panayatou money he was owed in return for the charges being dropped. Then, in September 2000 Van Colle's car was destroyed by fire.
Carrs-Frisk said that in October 2002 Brougham threatened Van Colle saying: 'I know where you live, I know where your businesses are, where your parents live and if you don't drop the charges you will be in danger.'
Carrs-Frisk said DC Ridley had been 'fully aware' of the attempted bribery and intimidation of witnesses but claimed no steps were taken to protect witnesses.
The Giles Van Colle Memorial Foundation was established to reward paediatric research within optometry, and enquiries can be made to the Foundation c/o Lee Bolton Lee, Solicitors, 1 The Sanctuary, London.