Friday, February 15, 2013

Hillsborough Inquest Coroner Appointed

Lord Justice Goldring has today been appointed as the coroner to oversee the new inquests into the Hillsborough disaster.

A 23-year battle for justice on behalf of the 96 Liverpool supporters who lost their lives in April 1989 saw a series of breakthroughs in 2012.

The publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report into the tragedy in September laid bare the truth of what happened on that day and prompted an apology to the families by Prime Minister David Cameron.

In December, the original inquests which ruled accidental death as the cause were then quashed following an application by Attorney General Dominic Grieve.

A fresh batch of inquests will now be held to conclusively determine what happened at Hillsborough and Lord Justice Goldring will be at the head of that process.

The inquests were initially expected to take place in Doncaster but a law change to the Coroners Act 1988, revealed yesterday, means Goldring can decide on a location anywhere in the country.

The Leicester-born judge was named a High Court Judge in 1999 and held the position of Senior Presiding Judge of England and Wales for three years until December 2012.

He is expected to begin the new inquest proceedings at the earliest possible opportunity.

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