Next week, on Monday 3 November, the trial of three G4S officers accused of the manslaughter of Jimmy Mubenga will begin.

Jimmy Mubenga died on 12 October 2010 on board a plane at Heathrow airport during his deportation to Angola. He was initially held at Brook House, which is also operated by G4S, and then taken to Heathrow for deportation. He died on the plane as it taxied back to its stand.

The guards, Terrence Hughes, Colin Kaler and Stuart Tribelnig, all worked for the private company G4S, which at the time of Jimmy’s death, was responsible for deportations.

The trial is taking place at the Old Bailey from Monday 3 November and is expected to last up to three months.

State agents who last faced charges for actions during a deportation were the three police officers from the Alien Deportation Squad (SO13) who were involved in the death of Joy Gardner in 1993. Joy had thirteen feet of adhesive tape wrapped around her head and was further restrained with a body belt and handcuffs. The three officers involved were ultimately cleared of manslaughter charges in the trial which took place in 1995.