Hillsborough, Grenfell and Aberfan victims back police truth charter

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."

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.

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."

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.

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."

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."

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.