Jimmy Mubenga: G4S guards cleared of manslaughter of man who said 'I can't breathe' during restraint

Three G4S security guards have been cleared of the manslaughter of an Angolan man who died while being deported from the UK.

Jimmy Mubenga, 46, died in 2010 after being restrained by three G4S guards on board a British Airways plane at Heathrow Airport.

The three men - Colin Kaler, Terrence Hughes and Stuart Tribelnig – originally faced no charges until a jury ruled Mubenga had been killed unlawfully during an inquest into his death.

Mubenga is said to have complained of not being able to breathe while he was being restrained while handcuffed from behind with his seatbelt on.

Several other passengers also claim to have heard the father of five shouting "They're going to kill me" while being retrained.

The court heard Kaler, Tribelnig and Hughes pinned Mubenga head down for more than 30 minutes before he went into cardiac arrest. The defendants said they were unaware Mubenga was in difficulty.

He was being transported back to Angola after serving a two-year prison sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court was told Mubenga was healthy and co-operating with the guards while boarding the plane.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, the three G4S guards have now been cleared of Mubenga's manslaughter. All three denied acting dangerously or negligently during the incident.

The guards said they are "delighted" to have been found not guilty of Mubenga's manslaughter.

In a statement read out on their behalf outside the Old Bailey, their lawyer Alex Preston said: "They bitterly regret the death of Mr Mubenga but have always said they were trying to do a very difficult job in difficult circumstances to the best of their ability.

"They are grateful to the judge and jury for the care they have taken resolving these sad events."