Opinion

State must learn the lessons of Hillsborough disaster

The unlawful killing verdict by a jury in the Hillsborough inquest is a landmark finding that fully vindicates the long and arduous struggle for truth by the families of the 96 who died.

It is an outcome that will resonate with the relatives of those killed in controversial circumstances during the conflict in Northern Ireland and who have been waiting for inquests into their cases to be completed.

While the two issues are not directly comparable, there are parallels to be drawn between the search for truth on both sides of the Irish Sea with relatives taking on the power of a state reluctant to fully disclose all aspects of cases which do not reflect well on public bodies.

Like the Hillsborough families, victims in the north have come up against delays, prevarication and obstruction in their search for information.

It is 27 years since that terrible day when 96 Liverpool fans went off to watch a football match and never came home.

The now discredited 1991 inquest which ruled the deaths of the fans was accidental caused outrage among relatives that served to fuel their profound sense of injustice.

While a new inquest was eventually ordered, that protracted process added to the pain, stress and anguish experienced by families.

In the event, the new hearing took an extraordinary two years to complete and while senior figures were held to account for their actions and fresh information did come to light, it was still an uphill battle.

Lawyers for the families said the approach taken by South Yorkshire Police and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service ``was to fight tooth and nail to avoid adverse findings by the jury.''

Their statement added: ``This turned the inquests into an adversarial battle that probably doubled the length of time it might otherwise have done.''

It is quite appalling after all the bereaved have been through that statutory bodies should make their journey towards the truth any more difficult.

The families deserved to know how their loved ones died, they deserved to know if those in authority failed in their responsibilities and they deserved to have the good names of the victims properly restored.

Indeed, relatives cheered when the jury forewoman answered `no' to the question of whether fan behaviour played any part in the disaster.

If there is a lesson for the authorities it is that denying the truth and offering less than total candour, is completely unacceptable and is ultimately counterproductive.

If something goes catastrophically wrong, as it did at Hillsborough, it would have been better to own up straight away.

As the Liverpool families showed, people with sufficient motivation, support and determination will never stop until they ensure the truth comes out eventually.