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The family of a woman shot by police nearly three decades ago, triggering the 1985 Brixton riots, have delivered a petition to Downing Street urging the government to reconsider a decision not to give them legal aid for the inquest into her death.

Relatives of Cherry Groce, who was paralysed below the waist when she was shot in 1985, presented the petition of more than 129,000 signatures at Number 10 today, demanding that they should be granted legal aid for the inquest this summer.

Mrs Groce was accidentally shot by police seeking her son, Michael, during an early morning raid on her home. She died in April 2011, having spent 26 years in a wheelchair.

Dozens of civilians and 10 police officers were injured in the unrest on the streets of Brixton, south London, following the shooting.

Days later, disorder broke out on the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, north London, following the death of another black woman, Cynthia Jarrett, who collapsed with a stroke after police raided her home. Pc Keith Blakelock was stabbed to death during the subsequent rioting.

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Inspector Douglas Lovelock, the marksman who shot Mrs Groce, stood trial in 1987 charged with inflicting unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm, and was acquitted.

The inquest into Mrs Groce's death is due to take place in June and documents obtained by Channel 4 News have revealed that pathologists for both the family and the police concluded there is a causal link between the shooting and her death.

But her family's request for legal aid for representation at the inquest has been denied, prompting them to start a petition on online platform Change.org, amassing more than 129,000 signatures so far, which they delivered to Downing Street today.

The petition says: "Without legal aid we will be financially excluded from participating, which means we are not able to adequately and effectively take part in such a complex case and it is unfair to expect us to do so whilst the other three interested parties are being publicly funded!"

The family was joined by Chuka Umunna, Labour MP for Streatham, who described the decision to deny them legal aid "absurd and perverse", and a "disgrace".

Mrs Groce's son Lee Lawrence, who was 11 years old when he saw his mother shot, led the group of family members.

Earlier he said: "For three decades we have been trying to get answers to what happened to our mother. Now we have 130,000 people backing us on our Change.org petition, our appeal cannot be ignored any longer.

"The Prime Minister has the power to say our call for legal aid is in the public interest. It will not bring our mother back but it will bring her justice. She waited her whole life for justice, we owe her that."

A Legal Aid Agency spokeswoman earlier said: "We have great sympathy for the family of Ms Groce and are sorry for their loss. This was a difficult decision which was not taken lightly.

"An inquest is aimed at helping families find out the circumstances behind the death of their loved one. The coroner is there to investigate the death and can put questions on behalf of the family during proceedings."