Film of gun siege lawyer Mark Saunders released

A coroner has released footage of a barrister brandishing a shotgun at the window of his London flat moments before he was shot dead by marksmen.

Mark Saunders, 32, was involved in a five-hour stand-off in 2008 after firing a shot into a nearby home.

The footage shows police negotiator Supt John Sutherland talking to Mr Saunders who had been drinking heavily.

He is at a window illuminated by a police helicopter when he is hit by five bullets.

Giving evidence at Westminster Coroner's Court one of the marksmen, known as AZ 15 to protect his identity, told the inquest that earlier in the siege he exchanged fire with Mr Saunders.

The policeman, armed with a Glock 17 automatic pistol, was in the bedroom of a neighbouring house.

He said: "Upon entering, I noticed the window had damage, and it appeared to be either birdshot or pellets from a shotgun.

"I made it clear to the occupants to stay in the hallway and positioned myself to the left of the window."

The officer continued: "I could see he was carrying a long-barrelled weapon. Initially it was facing towards the ground.

"At the point where I noticed he was carrying the weapon, it was levelled in the direction of the area I was in and a shot was discharged towards my direction."

The officer said a resident of the house had re-entered the room, so he shot back at Mr Saunders a total of three times.

He explained: "I feared for the person in the room, so until I could assess where that person was, I discharged two shots from my weapon."

Another officer then opened fire with a sub-machine gun, which has a longer range, hitting the masonry of Mr Saunders' flat.

Mr Saunders' family have claimed he posed no risk when he was firing from the window of the property in Markham Square, Chelsea.

The court has heard seven officers fired in total, their shots hitting Mr Saunders in the chest and neck.

One police officer is said to have described the lawyer during his interactions with officers at the siege as "absolutely hammered".

Exchanges between Mr Saunders and negotiator Supt Sutherland have been released by the coroner.

Mr Sutherland told him: "You are not going to burst out and you are not going to get gunned down.

"Nobody is going to get hurt today. That is the deal."

He added: "This is about beginnings not endings. You have got a future Mark."

Earlier on Thursday one officer involved told the hearing it did not cross his mind to allow Mr Saunders' wife to go to him.

Elizabeth Saunders has criticised police for refusing her requests to speak to him.

Asked if it had occured to him, Det Insp Steve Wagstaff said: "Not in the circumstances.

"We had somebody in a flat, armed with a gun, shots had been discharged - our duty is to protect the public."

The court also heard the police command structure during the siege described as "odd" by one officer.

Det Insp Steve Wagstaff, who was in charge of the negotiating teams, said it put "a lot of pressure on" when Gold Commander Ali Dizaei came to the scene.

"Gold should've kept back," he said.

In a written statement given to the court earlier this week, former Metropolitan Police Commander Dizaei outlined how he took control, supervising the tactical response and liaising with senior officers.

Dizaei is currently serving a four-year jail term for corruption after he was convicted of attempting to frame a web designer for assault.

The hearing continues.