The mother of Mark Duggan has lost her bid to overturn the ‘lawful killing’ verdict returned by an inquest.

In a brief statement made at the High Court this morning, Sir Brian Leveson said he and two other senior judges dismissed Pamela Duggan’s challenge.

Mr Duggan was shot in August 2011 after armed officers forced the minicab he was travelling in to stop, based on intelligence that he had collected a gun.

Firearms officers claimed they fired in self-defence after Mr Duggan pointed a gun at them.

The inquest decided that he was unarmed when killed, but that the officer who shot Mr Duggan believed he was holding a gun.

Sir Brian Leveson, Mr Justice Burnett and Judge Peter Thornton QC carried out a two-day judicial review at the High Court in July.

Lawyers representing the Duggan family argued that the ‘lawful killing’ verdict was the result of flawed directions from the coroner.

Michael Mansfield, QC for the Duggan family, called for a legal framework to be drawn up to help coroners guide juries in future.

He said: “The public then know what’s being decided and the basis on which it’s being decided.”

The Duggan family was not in court to hear the verdict this morning.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “The tackling of those believed to be armed always carries a risk. Thanks to the professionalism of the officers involved it is very rare that officers fire a shot.

“Trident and firearms officers contribute every day across London to reductions in gun crime, last year 300 firearms were seized as a result of proactive operations.

“We are not complacent, our primary aim is keeping Londoners safe, and we recognise the considerable and devastating impact of gun crime on those affected by it.

“We will continue to learn and develop our methods for firearms operations to keep Londoners safe.”