Murder of Yvonne Fletcher
| Yvonne Fletcher | |
|---|---|
Memorial to WPC Yvonne Fletcher in St. James's Square, London.
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| Born |
15 June 1958 Wiltshire, England |
| Died | 17 April 1984 (aged 25) Westminster Hospital, London, England |
| Police career | |
| Department | Metropolitan Police Service |
| Years of service | 1977–1984 |
| Rank | Woman Police Constable |
WPC Yvonne Joyce Fletcher (15 June 1958 – 17 April 1984) was a British police officer fatally shot during a protest outside the Libyan embassy at St. James's Square, London, in 1984. Fletcher, who had been on duty and deployed to police the protest, died shortly afterwards at Westminster Hospital. Her death resulted in the Metropolitan Police laying siege to the embassy for the next eleven days, and the United Kingdom severing all diplomatic relations with Libya. Two years later it became a major factor in Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's decision to allow US President Ronald Reagan to launch the US bombing of Libya in 1986 from American bases in the United Kingdom.
No one has ever been convicted for the murder of Yvonne Fletcher. However, in 1999, the government of Muammar Gaddafi accepted responsibility for her death and agreed to pay compensation to her family.
Fletcher, who had joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1977, was part of a detachment of 30 officers sent to St. James's Square to monitor a demonstration by Libyan dissidents opposed to the rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Among the detachment with Fletcher was her fiancé.
The demonstration had been organised by the Libyan National Salvation Front (LNSF) following the execution of two students who had criticised Gaddafi. Since February 1984, the Libyan embassy, which was known as the Libyan People's Bureau at the time, had been staffed by "revolutionary committees" made up of students loyal to Gaddafi who had assumed control of the diplomatic mission with the tacit approval of the Libyan government. They were not professional diplomats. Gaddafi loyalists at the embassy warned police that they intended to mount a counter-demonstration.
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