Web Announcement following the Verdict decision - April 2006
After over 3yrs waiting for the truth about Simon's death, we are shocked and bewildered that the jury brought in by a majority verdict of ten to one that the officers were justified in shooting Simon dead. This is not what we were expecting!
The verdict was diametrically opposite to that expected by the opinion of several top QCs, senior solicitors, much of the press and public, as well as the family and many friends, that had heard all the weeks of evidence. The harrowing story in all it's details which we have waited three years to hear, has left us feeling greatly let down, especially as we have held our council for all this time expecting we would finally get proceedings which would bring to clear light the whole truth. We believe this watershed case has revealed a perceived inadequacy in what we feel is an outmoded system even though we have no criticism of the Coroner and personnel involved and the actual conduct of the Inquest.
We will be exploring issues around this topic in some depth later in this website as well as releasing many of the facts which have come to light. This case has inevitably raised complex and substantial isues surrounding personal liberties and human rights versus the excessive use of police power. These really canot afford to be ignored by us all, especailly at a time when the police and government are seeking even more draconian powers in many of these areas fed by an increasing paranoia about terrorism and violent crime and the gun culture.
The early media stories of Simon's behaviour and circumstances on that day have been shown to be mostly misrepresented by the facts witnessed during the Inquest.Now, many of these new facts have come to light,some of them scattered through the press and media during these past weeks, still leaving the waters somewhat muddy. Thus a complete picture to clear Simon's name has not been finally aired. We are left feeling somewhat "short-changed" and powerless that the police and the circumstances of that day have not been subjected to a full legal scrutiny which we believe would have inevitably made things clearer for all.
It seems that this inquest result has given a justification for the police to shoot whom they like, when they like, if they perceive they have grounds to do so from their own subjective point of view. The implicaions of this horrify us. Why cannot the Police, if they are going to shoot people, be subject to the same court of law as everyone else? We will have much more to say on these matters through this website in the future.