Journalists at the Western Morning News are waiting for clarification from a coroner who granted anonymity to three firearms officers at an inquest into the fatal shooting of a former soldier.

A 20-year-old man, who had threatened police with what turned out to be an air rifle, was shot in the chest by officers from Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in Falmouth last April.

When the inquest opened, the coroner said he had received representations both from the police and the family of the dead man asking that the officers should not be identified.

The inquest is expected to last two weeks and the firearms officers are expected to give evidence from behind a screen next week.

Jason Clark, news editor of the Western Morning News, said: “The coroner did not give his reasons, nor did he cite under which law he had made his ruling.”

After approaches from the newspaper, and the BBC, the coroner was expected to issue a written statement today (FRiday).

Mr Clark said: “There may be perfectly valid reasons why the officers should not be named, but my worry is that so far we have not even been told (on or off the record) the reasons why anonymity is so important in this case.

“If this becomes the norm, then where do we draw the line in making our police forces accountable for their actions?”

Devon and CornwalL Constabulary has said that it is now “common practice” to seek an anonymity order in all cases involving firearms officers on the grounds that they may be threatened if named.

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