Gaza film maker was murdered (From Western Telegraph)

Gaza film maker was murdered

THE Haverfordwest-born film-maker shot in the neck by an Israeli soldier in Gaza two years ago was murdered, an inquest found.

On Thursday, the jury at St Pancras also said Israeli authorities had not been forthcoming about how and why James Miller, aged 34, was gunned down.

Members of the jury unanimously found that the dad-of-two was unlawfully killed.

The foreman said: "This was an unlawful shooting with the intention of killing James Miller.

"Therefore we can come to no other conclusion than that Mr Miller was indeed murdered."

The award-winning cameraman was making a film about the plight of Palestinian children entitled Death in Gaza.

He was leaving a house at 11pm on May 2nd, 2003, waving a white flag and shouting that he was a British journalist when he was murdered.

James Miller's father Colonel Geoffrey Miller said: "It's been three years of protracted torture brought about by the Israelis."

He went on to criticise the Foreign Office who he claimed had put pressure on the family to give in to the Israelis.

"They've been totally supine and ineffective. At one stage they were as obstructive as the Israelis," he said.

The family are hoping the verdict will strengthen their appeal to have the soldier responsible, named as Lieutenant Heib, extradited to Britain and prosecuted.

A spokesman for the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, said: "The attorney general has asked to see a full report of the inquest, including the evidence that was given, so that he may consider the implications of the verdict."