Hillsborough: Britain’s worst sporting disaster. 97 men, women and children died, hundreds injured, thousands are traumatised. 15-year-old schoolboy Kevin Williams was one of the youngest children killed. His mother Anne was to go on to be one of the most prominent individuals of the Hillsborough campaign. This ordinary housewife spent 25 years fighting the English establishment. In one of the longest fights in British legal history the whole of Merseyside joined Anne and other grieving families to expose a monumental miscarriage of justice. 97 were unlawfully killed but not one conviction for killing them. The Real Anne: Unfinished Business ***** ITV 2022
But as the city and families mourn the police rush to deflect blame saying drunk and ticketless Liverpool fans forcing their way into the stadium caused the tragedy. ibid.
Astonishingly, the coroner’s ruling meant that the quality of the emergency response was barely interrogated. Was it good enough? Could more lives have been saved? ibid.
For the first time an official report confirmed police statements had been changed to deflect blame. ibid.
Finally, the families have the truth. But they now want the Accidental Death verdicts quashed. They want justice. ibid.
With the 1991 Coroner’s Inquest overturned and a fresh Inquest ordered, a criminal investigation begins. And the Independent Police Complaints Commission examine the allegations of a cover-up. But it’s a bitter-sweet victory. Anne is dying from cancer. ibid.
Vengeance is easy, justice is hard. If we allow ourselves to be ruled by vengeance, by emotion, by anger, we shall make mistakes and justice will not be served. The Gold s1e4: Vengeance is Easy, Justice is Hard
Stories about the state of our public services: health, education and justice … and the creaking justice system is failing both victim and criminal. Darren McGarvey: The State We’re In s1e1: Justice, BBC 2024
High above the Old Bailey stands a Statue of Justice. She holds a Sword in her right hand and the Scales of Justice in her left. These days I’m not sure that the Sword of Justice is relevant. British Gangsters: Faces of the Underworld s2e5: Live By the Sword, Amazon 2024