Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

[jon1959]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/22/grenfell-bereaved-and-survivors-must-wait-until-2027-for-suspects-to-face-trial

The bereaved and survivors of Grenfell Tower must wait until at least 2027 – a decade after the blaze that killed 72 people – before those suspected of being responsible for the disaster could face criminal trials, it has emerged.

Families described the news as “shocking” and called the wait for charges for people to be held accountable for their crimes “unbearable”.

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It amounts to a more than four-year delay on an earlier expected timetable and comes because the police say they must take into account the final report of the public inquiry, which could take 18 months.

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A statement from Grenfell United, a group of bereaved and survivors, said: “10 years until we see justice”. It continued: “10 years until we see prosecutions. 10 years until those responsible for the murders of 72 people are held to account for their crimes. This should be shocking for everyone, but for us, we live our lives on hold while those responsible walk free.”

The public inquiry has yet to set a date for publication but it will be after the seventh anniversary of the fire, which is next month.

The police also revealed that 58 individuals and 19 companies and organisations are suspects, with potential charges now including misconduct in public office, indicating that local and national government politicians and officials could face trial.

Detectives declined to name individual suspects but said other possible crimes also include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud and perverting the course of justice.

They also confirmed explicitly that they believe that the deaths caused by the fire were the result of criminal acts.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...-to-face-trial

The bereaved and survivors of Grenfell Tower must wait until at least 2027 – a decade after the blaze that killed 72 people – before those suspected of being responsible for the disaster could face criminal trials, it has emerged.

Families described the news as “shocking” and called the wait for charges for people to be held accountable for their crimes “unbearable”.

-

It amounts to a more than four-year delay on an earlier expected timetable and comes because the police say they must take into account the final report of the public inquiry, which could take 18 months.

-

A statement from Grenfell United, a group of bereaved and survivors, said: “10 years until we see justice”. It continued: “10 years until we see prosecutions. 10 years until those responsible for the murders of 72 people are held to account for their crimes. This should be shocking for everyone, but for us, we live our lives on hold while those responsible walk free.”

The public inquiry has yet to set a date for publication but it will be after the seventh anniversary of the fire, which is next month.

The police also revealed that 58 individuals and 19 companies and organisations are suspects, with potential charges now including misconduct in public office, indicating that local and national government politicians and officials could face trial.

Detectives declined to name individual suspects but said other possible crimes also include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud and perverting the course of justice.

They also confirmed explicitly that they believe that the deaths caused by the fire were the result of criminal acts.

Seems to be the British way doesn’t it - based on precedents like Hillsborough, the Post Office and infected blood scandals, they’ve got about another twenty year wait to come.

[Cleve van Leef]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

Ain’t nothing in the World like British Justice! May be my age but ever since Maggie it’s all gone to pot.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

The Tories said they were onto this , what a sham

Poor people

[Nobody's Rep]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

Seems to be the British way doesn’t it - based on precedents like Hillsborough, the Post Office and infected blood scandals, they’ve got about another twenty year wait to come.

But if it was a PPE contract it would be fast laned all the way into awaiting rich peoples pockets 👍

[jon1959]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/13/disabled-high-rise-residents-still-at-risk-seven-years-after-grenfell-fire

No longer newsworthy but the scandal keeps on and on....


Hundreds of thousands of disabled residents in high-rise buildings are at risk without evacuation plans, firefighters have warned, seven years on from the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU) and the charity Disability Rights UK said the government’s failure to implement evacuation plans for vulnerable residents, one of the main recommendations from the first-phase report of the Grenfell Tower inquiry, meant “disabled people will continue to face unnecessary and avoidable danger and/or death”.

Friday marks the seventh anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, when 72 people died after a blaze engulfed the block of flats in west London. About 40% of the building’s disabled or vulnerable residents died.

The general secretary of the FBU, Matt Wrack, told the Guardian: “To this day, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable high-rise residents are being left with no evacuation plan in the event of a fire because the Home Office is failing to act.

“It is the duty of those who own and manage tower blocks to ensure their tenants can evacuate in an emergency. The Grenfell Tower fire was a crime caused by negligence, deregulation and privatisation. Instead of lessons being learned, profits are being prioritised over human life once again.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/13/seven-years-wasted-grenfell-bereaved-fight-for-evacuation-plans-on-anniversary

[jon1959]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/14/seven-years-on-grenfell-fight-justice-hillsborough-covid

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

Disappointing that no thread has been started about the findings of the Official Report into the Grenfell tragedy, but maybe not surprising given the behaviour of many MPs on Wednesday who turned up for the schoolyard antics of PMQs and then cleared off whe the PM and other party leaders gave their reaction to the report.

https://x.com/BeckettUnite/status/1831399911616868463

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...-grenfell-fire

No longer newsworthy but the scandal keeps on and on....


Hundreds of thousands of disabled residents in high-rise buildings are at risk without evacuation plans, firefighters have warned, seven years on from the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU) and the charity Disability Rights UK said the government’s failure to implement evacuation plans for vulnerable residents, one of the main recommendations from the first-phase report of the Grenfell Tower inquiry, meant “disabled people will continue to face unnecessary and avoidable danger and/or death”.

Friday marks the seventh anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, when 72 people died after a blaze engulfed the block of flats in west London. About 40% of the building’s disabled or vulnerable residents died.

The general secretary of the FBU, Matt Wrack, told the Guardian: “To this day, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable high-rise residents are being left with no evacuation plan in the event of a fire because the Home Office is failing to act.

“It is the duty of those who own and manage tower blocks to ensure their tenants can evacuate in an emergency. The Grenfell Tower fire was a crime caused by negligence, deregulation and privatisation. Instead of lessons being learned, profits are being prioritised over human life once again.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...on-anniversary

A bit rich the FBU shouting from the rooftops - the London fire Brigade were far from blameless..

[jon1959]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

Looks like another 3 years at least before any criminal prosecutions are brought.

In the meantime half of high rise residential blocks in the UK are still waiting for essential fire safety work to be done.

It is like Lakanal again x10.

At least we now have official confirmation that the ‘bonfire of red tape’ was a major cause of the ‘wholly avoidable’ disaster.

Somehow I doubt Eric Pickles will end up in the dock. But he should - as should others from both Labour and Tory governments of the past 35 years.

[NinianKnight]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

Keir Starmar again has been poor over this. His statement about Grenfell Tower was a bit odd as it seemed to link race to the fire

From what I read it was the fault of the builders, local council and Goverment officials. All they were interested in was profit margins and doing the job as cheap as possible. When a problem with the cladding was identified, they pulled their usual trick and kept quite because of the cost to correct the issue.

This wasn't confined to Grenfell Tower buildings all over the UK had the same cladding. Why KS thought this was some kind of far right conspericy against people of colour is baffling. People from all forms of life have been affected by this and if he really cared he would get one of his fast track courts up and running and prosecute those responsible.

[TWGL1]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

Looks like another 3 years at least before any criminal prosecutions are brought.

In the meantime half of high rise residential blocks in the UK are still waiting for essential fire safety work to be done.

It is like Lakanal again x10.

At least we now have official confirmation that the ‘bonfire of red tape’ was a major cause of the ‘wholly avoidable’ disaster.

Somehow I doubt Eric Pickles will end up in the dock. But he should - as should others from both Labour and Tory governments of the past 35 years.

I suspect there won’t be any prosecutions of note sadly

[chrisp_1927]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

I wonder if a lot of the problem is these demands for public enquiries every time something happens. Government and 'victims groups' seem to love them, but what's the bloody point when it delays a legal case being able to happen.

Surely the best bet would be to let the justice system do it's thing first, then have an enquiry of experts convened afterwards to advise on future changes.

Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems ridiculous

[jon1959]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/22/too-many-buildings-remain-unsafe-after-grenfell-disaster-housing-minister-warns

Wajid Khan, a Labour peer and housing minister, said on Friday that remediation work had not started at approximately 50% of properties being monitored for their unsafe cladding.

He told the House of Lords there is a need to “go further, faster” on 2,415 residential buildings over 11 metres in height in England. Figures show that of 4,834 buildings on the register 983 have started remediation, making 3,398 where the work to make the buildings safe is not yet done. About 30%, or 1,436, have completed remediation.

Lord Khan made the remarks in a debate about the Grenfell Tower inquiry report, which he said focused on fire safety but also “exposed wider failures in practice and culture”.

[SOXY BOY]

Re: Grenfell Tower - 10 years (at least) for justice!

A bit rich the FBU shouting from the rooftops - the London fire Brigade were far from blameless..

I agree the LFB had some responsibility but it was the cladding, that wasn’t tested in a fire situation, that was the mayor cause of the fire. The biggest criticism of the LFB is they didn’t change the stay put policy quickly enough where the building wasn’t reacting as they would expect.