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UK PM calls for calm after Duggan verdict

There are fears a planned London vigil for Mark Duggan could turn violent, after a jury found he was killed lawfully by police.

Mark Duggan's family after an inquest into his death in London
Mark Duggan's family has reacted with shock after UK jurors found he was lawfully killed by police. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Prime Minister David Cameron has appealed for a calm response after an inquest found that a man was lawfully killed by police in an incident that sparked Britain's worst unrest for decades.

Cameron said he hoped people would respect the "proper" judicial process in the case of Mark Duggan and welcomed the stance taken by the dead man's aunt Carole, who said she wanted "no more violence".

Relatives of the 29-year-old alleged gangster plan to hold a vigil in Tottenham, north London, at the weekend and there are concerns that the event could spark unrest.

Two days after the father-of-six was killed, deadly rioting broke out across cities nationwide.

The commissioner of London's Metropolitan police, Bernard Hogan-Howe, met with community leaders to discuss Wednesday's verdict after a jury found that Duggan's shooting was lawful even though he did not have a gun in his hand at the time.

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Speaking after the meeting, Reverend Nims Obunge, who conducted Duggan's burial service, said: "We had an interesting meeting with the commissioner and he has clearly expressed concern about what would happen in Tottenham.

"The message from the family is that this vigil is intended to be a very peaceful vigil."

The family responded furiously to the verdict, with Duggan's brother screaming obscenities at jurors as they left court and other supporters shouting "murderers".

In highly-charged scenes outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Duggan's aunt, Carole, said he had been "executed", but on Thursday she called for calm.

"This has got to be dealt with the right way, through the courts," she told BBC radio, saying the family wanted to see "no more demonstrations, no more violence".

The inquest jury found by a majority verdict that it was most likely that Duggan had a gun but threw it on to a nearby grass verge after police vehicles forced the taxi in which he was travelling to stop.

Rioting broke out in Tottenham two days after Duggan was killed in August 2011, and violence and looting soon spread across London and to Birmingham, Manchester and other English cities.

Five people were killed in the riots, hundreds were injured and thousands arrested.

Police believe Duggan was a member of one of Europe's most dangerous gangs, although he had never been convicted of a major offence.


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