Lord Justice Goldring says hearing should be held near where bereaved families live, but not too close to Liverpool

The new inquest into how 96 people died at Hillsborough football ground in 1989 will be held in the north-west, the coroner has ruled. Michael Mansfield QC, representing 71 bereaved families, had argued it should be in London because of concern about “actual or perceived bias” in the north.

Pete Weatherby QC, representing 20 families, and lawyers for a further three, were “vehemently against” London, arguing it would make attending the inquest extremely difficult.

The coroner, Lord Justice Goldring, has ruled the inquests should be close to where the bereaved families live, enabling them to attend conveniently and return home at night. He decided that in the north-west, not too close to Liverpool, there was no more risk of a jury being prejudiced than in London.

The original 1991 inquest was quashed in December after a long campaign by the families. The new inquest is to start in early 2014.

A news article on 2013-05-02 18:49:00 from: The Guardian

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