Hillsborough, Grenfell and Aberfan victims back police truth charter

Jordan Davies & Tony Brown
BBC News
BBC Paul Price, Edward Daffarn, Margaret Aspinall and Jeff Edwards sat around a tableBBC
Victims and relatives of those affected by four major tragedies have come together ahead of the charter being signed in Merthyr Tydfil

Victims of Hillsborough, Grenfell, the Manchester Arena terror attack and the Aberfan disaster have said decades of suffering could have been avoided if a new charter compelling the police to tell the truth, was introduced sooner.

The Hillsborough Charter will oblige organisations to think about victims rather than their own reputations.

This is the first time victims from four of the UK's most public and harrowing tragedies have come together to speak publicly.

Most of Wales' public bodies will sign up to the charter at an event in Merthyr Tydfil on Tuesday.

Warning: This article contains images some people may find upsetting

An eight year old Jeff Edwards was the last child to be brought out of the school alive following the Aberfan disaster.

"It would have made a hell of a difference," Jeff said.

"Had there been a charter like this people's views would have been taken into consideration."

Getty Images Black and white image of lines of villagers and emergency services helping to free trapped children and adultsGetty Images
Villagers and emergency services helped to free trapped children and adults at Aberfan after a coal tip engulfed a school and many homes in 1966

It was on 21 October 1966, that a huge coal waste tip slid down a hill in the village of Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil county, engulfing Pantglas Junior School and nearby houses.

The disaster killed 116 children and 28 adults - and after the cameras had left, and the royal visit by Queen Elizabeth II had concluded, grief morphed into visceral anger.

An inquiry found the National Coal Board was to blame - but no-one lost their job, there were no criminal charges and the NCB refused to accept full financial responsibility.

Getty Images Black and white photo of emergency workers carrying out a body on a stretcher Getty Images
Another body brought from the Pantglas Junior School

Jeff's stomach and head injuries healed, but his psychological injuries lasted the longest.

Jeff said the charter needs to "change the hearts and minds" of people working in public service.

"Lessons haven't been learned - 60 years since the Aberfan disaster - things aren't coming out in public as they should be," Jeff said.

"This is a line in the sand, and hopefully from here on people will be more honest and truthful - all people want is justice."

Getty Images black and white picture of Jeff Edwards aged eight, with blonde hair, a dark jumper, white shirt and dark tie, holding a toy plane, looking at the camera, a few days after being rescued Getty Images
Jeff Edwards in Aberfan, aged eight, a few days after being rescued

Hillsborough

On 15 April 1989, a crush in Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, killed 97 Liverpool football fans.

It was the worst disaster in British sporting history, with the actions of the police and tabloid press criticised.

An inquest jury found fans were unlawfully killed and there were police failures.

Only last week, the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found South Yorkshire police officers tried to "deflect blame" away from themselves.

But also found the officers had no case to answer for misconduct, because they were being judged by the professional standards of the 1980s.

Getty Images Policemen rescue soccer fansGetty Images
Fans were crushed to death and hundreds were injured at Hillsborough stadium on 15 April 1989 after support railings collapsed during a match between Liverpool and Nottingham forest

Margaret Aspinal lost her 18-year-old son James in the disaster.

"I think he'd be proud - and I do know, he would have told the truth," Margaret said.

"But I think he would be upset - that his mum has had to miss out on so much, seeing my children grow up, seeing my grandchildren born, because you're fighting for the right thing."

Getty Images Margaret Aspinall smiling with a fellow campaigner outside the coroner's court in 2016 Getty Images
Margaret Aspinall, whose son James was one of the victims, spent decades fighting for justice. It wasn't until 2016 that fresh inquests concluded fans had been unlawfully killed

Margaret believes decades of suffering and trauma could have been avoided if the a charter like this had been introduced before.

"That's where the sadness comes into it - I was always brought up to believe the police tell the truth - all these familIes are suffering because of injustice and cover ups, that is morally wrong," Margaret said.

"There would never have been a need for a Hillsborough Charter if people did the right thing in the first place."

Grenfell

On 14 June 2017, a fire engulfed Grenfell Tower residential block in London.

The blaze, which spread through cladding on the building, killed 72 people.

A six-year inquiry found every one of the deaths was avoidable, and the fire was the result of a chain of failures across government, "dishonest" private companies and the fire service.

The inquiry said the tragedy was the product of "decades of failure".

Getty Images Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London in the early hours of this morning on June 14th, 2017 in LondonGetty Images
Fire fighters tackled the building after a huge blaze engulfed Grenfell Tower block in West London on June 14th, 2017

Edward Daffarn lived on the 16th floor of the tower block, and said: "It feels as alive to me now as it did eight years ago.

"We were left on the night of the fire standing in the street fending for ourselves and it was the local community that came out and offered us help and assistance."

Edward had been warning people for years that the building was unsafe, but was ignored.

He believes he may have been taken more seriously, if something such as the Hillsborough charter had been in place at the time.

Manchester Arena attack

On 22 May 2017 a home-made bomb was detonated in the Manchester Arena, as people left an Ariana Grande concert.

The attack killed 22 people.

An inquiry found a catalogue of failings and mistakes by the emergency services, including the police, fire service and ambulance service.

Getty Images Concert goers wrapped up in silver foil survival blankets wait to be picked up at the scene outside the Manchester Arena  Getty Images
More than 20 people were killed and hundreds injured when a bomb went off as people left an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in 2017

Paul Price sustained life changing injuries and lost his partner Elaine in the attack.

"After the bomb went off my memory is pretty hazy, I just remember my vision turning red, a feeling of being airborne - I remember knowing I was dying," Paul said.

Elaine was a serving police officer when she died.

"So many things have been taken from me, and the moment you're told the love of your life has been killed - that was taken from me because I can't remember, because of the amount of medication I was on," he said.

Paul said he and other Manchester victims were left with no help.

He said he believes a charter would "put the humanity" back into public service.

Paul Price
Paul Price suffered life-changing injuries

The Hillsborough Charter is an effort to learn lessons from past mistakes, where victims were unsupported, ignored or blamed by those that should have been there to support them.

It will compel bodies such as the police to tell the truth and avoid "defending the indefensible".

Each signatory will be expected to be open, honest and transparent with victims, and when they face public inquiries.

Around 50 public bodies in Wales, including all of the emergency services and the Welsh government will sign up to the charter in Merthyr Tydfil.

The former Bishop of Liverpool the Right Reverend James Jones published a report into the Hillsborough disaster in 2017 and called for the creation of the charter.

"The sad fact is, unfortunately today there is a crisis of trust in public bodies - these tragic episodes have raised questions about how the state actually helps people who have suffered a public tragedy," he said.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to bring forward a Hillsborough Law, which would include a legal duty of candour, in time for the next anniversary of the disaster on April 15th 2025.