Draft 'Hillsborough Law' legislation to be considered
Draft legislation for a new 'Hillsborough Law', which would compel public officials to be truthful during inquiries, has been drawn up by lawyers of the Hillsborough families.
The jury at the inquests into the deaths of the 96 children, men and women as a result of the disaster on April 15, 1989 returned a determination of unlawful killing in April 2016, two years after the hearings originally began.
The outcome followed a 27-year campaign for justice for those who lost their lives at Hillsborough and a truthful account of how events unfolded before, during and after the tragedy.
Upon the conclusion of the inquests in Warrington, calls were made for the government to pass legislation which would impose a legal duty on public bodies and servants to tell the truth in court proceedings, investigations and inquiries.
A bill has now been drawn up by lawyers who represented the families throughout the hearings – referred to as the ‘Hillsborough Law’ and formally called the Public Authorities Accountability Bill.
If passed, the law would make it a criminal offence for officials in authority to intentionally mislead the public, empowering those in such positions to co-operate positively with investigations of this kind.
The draft will now be considered as part of the review being led by Bishop James Jones into the lessons that can be learned from the disaster, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Theresa May – at the time, Home Secretary – at the conclusion of the inquests earlier this year.
Click here for more information on the proposed ‘Hillsborough Law’.