Inquests were conducted by Lady Justice Hallett who was appointed to the role of Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London. The National Archives website has details of the Inquests. The Coroner issued a Rule 43 Report and a Review of progress report was issued by the government in May 2012.
Law and Lawyers 2011 post 6th May 2011 - Inquest into London Bombings of 7th July 2005
Ceremonies to Remember Victims - BBC News
There was very little comment (on this or any of the anniversaries of this terrible event) on the 7/7 Inquest process,
ReplyDeleteThe 7/7 Inquests were undertaken under the process where the 'coroner' and counsel were ‘suitably trained and cleared'. The change in the inquest process to allow the use of ‘suitably trained and cleared' coroners/counsel and the absence of jurors was posited (initially by Home Secretary at the time, Jacqui Smith) in order for the government to comply with their obligations in respect of Article 2 of the ECHR (even though the PII system could have been used to implement 'national security'). Laughable really - even the UK Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, in their report ‘Counter-Terrorism Policy and Human Rights (Eighth Report), published on 7 February 2008, commented on the 'Secret Inquests' proposals:
[W]e find this ('secret inquests' proposals) an astonishing provision with the most serious implications for the UK’s ability to comply with the positive obligation in Article 2 ECHR to provide an adequate and effective investigation where an individual has been killed as a result of the use of force, particularly where the death is the result of the use of force by state agents.
...
André Rebello, the executive officer of the Coroners’ Society confirmed that there had been no prior consultation with coroners themselves regarding the changes implemented to the Coroners/Inquest system, and was asked in 2008,
Q."What is your view of the proposal that inquests in some circumstances should be held before suitably trained and cleared coroners appointed by the Secretary of State?"
A."I am very uncomfortable about that. I think that it drives a coach and horses through the separation of powers. If a suitably qualified or specially ticketed coroner needs to be brought in, it certainly cannot be any part of the Executive that appoints the coroner. Well, it could be, but our rule of law would be going out the window."
The 'Secret Inquests' system is now in place, ushered in by 'judicial farce' on 12 November 2009.
7/7 Ten Years On - An indictment of the State and the state of investigative journalism
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