No evidence of murder found in death of ex-UK army officer
ISTANBUL
The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office has concluded that former British military intelligence officer James Le Mesurier, who was found dead in front of his office in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district late last year, died from falling from the terrace of his house, closing the case into his death.
The body of the former British army officer, the co-founder of the Syrian civil defense group known as the White Helmets, was found on Nov. 11 by passersby who were going to a nearby mosque for morning prayers.
At the end of the investigation, which lasted about three-and-a-half months, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office decided not to pursue the case anymore.
The prosecutor’s office also decided not to pursue an investigation against Le Mesurier’s wife, Emma Winberg, who testified as a suspect.
Considering the crime scene investigation, forensic medicine reports, security camera images, witness statements, digital investigations and mobile phones transcriptions, the prosecutor’s office did not find evidence that Le Mesurier was murdered by someone.
“In the death of Le Mesurier, third parties were given a decision to not carry on, as it was understood that a flawed fault or crime could not be detected,” according to the statement issued by the prosecutor’s office.
The White Helmets, known officially as Syria Civil Defence, have been credited with saving thousands of people in rebel-held areas during years of bombing by Syrian government and Russian forces in the country’s civil war.
