Victims of the contaminated blood scandal must wait longer for a decision on whether a criminal investigation will be launched – despite Andy Burnham’s commitment to deliver justice.
The delay comes just days after Burnham became Prime Minister, raising fresh questions over when victims will finally see the justice he has long promised.
Burnham has pledged to stand by those affected until they secure justice and has previously described the scandal as a “criminal cover-up on an industrial scale”.
Police have yet to launch a criminal probe into the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, despite the devastating findings of a public inquiry more than two years ago.
Scandal left more 30,000 people infected
The Infected Blood Inquiry found the scandal, which left more than 30,000 people infected with deadly diseases including HIV and hepatitis C after receiving NHS-supplied blood and blood products, was “largely avoidable”.
Among its most shocking findings was that children were knowingly used in medical research without informed consent. This included students at Lord Mayor Treloar College in Alton, Hampshire, where more than 80 children died after receiving contaminated blood products.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has been assessing the evidence. Its initial focus was on the “specific events” at Treloar’s, but it has now decided to widen the scope of its review, raising fears among campaigners that a final decision on whether to launch a criminal investigation could still be years away.
In a letter to victims, seen by The i Paper, Acting Deputy Chief Constable Robert Griffin, who leads the NPCC review, said officers had spent two years examining the inquiry’s early chapters, including events at Treloar, in the hope that would be enough to determine whether a prosecution was possible.
“Regrettably, that has not proved to be the case,” Griffin wrote, confirming the review will now be extended to cover every chapter of the inquiry’s findings – a decision he admitted would “inevitably extend the timeline”.
Public inquiry witnesses need to be approached again
Griffin set out why police had been unable to reach a decision, telling victims that “the manner in which evidence was gathered and considered by the Public Inquiry differs significantly from the evidential standards and requirements applicable to a criminal investigation”.
He said witnesses who gave evidence to the inquiry would likely need to be approached again “to establish whether they are willing to provide evidence” for a police investigation, and warned there was “the possibility that there may be no individual or corporate body against whom criminal proceedings could properly be pursued”.
Even where suspects could be identified, he added, “the legal thresholds for offences such as gross negligence manslaughter and corporate manslaughter are exceptionally high”.
Griffin apologised directly to those affected, writing: “I want to acknowledge, openly and without reservation, that this additional delay, while necessary to ensure the review is thorough and defensible, is both deeply regrettable and understandably difficult.”
He said updates would now be issued every three months, with the next due in the week beginning 26 October.
Fight for justice is ‘forever’
In an interview with The i Paper marking the second anniversary of the inquiry’s final report, given just weeks before he became Prime Minister, Burnham said he would be with victims “every step of the way”, adding: “The fight is forever. There’s no justice until everyone’s got justice. My support for them will be absolute, whichever position I’m in.”
Victims including Gary Webster, Steve Nicholls and Steve Warwick, who all attended Treloar and were infected with deadly diseases after receiving contaminated blood products there, have made crime reports to Hampshire Police in recent weeks, they told The i Paper.
Webster, who attended Treloar between 1975 and 1983 and now lives with HIV and hepatitis B and C, has previously said that the police already had enough evidence to launch a UK-wide criminal investigation. He described the continued wait as a “living nightmare” for the families of pupils he believes were failed by those responsible for their care.
Hence then, the article about justice delayed for infected blood victims despite burnham promise was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Justice delayed for infected blood victims, despite Burnham promise )
Also on site :
- CBS To Switch Affiliation From Nexstar To Hearst TV & Forum Communications Stations In A Half Dozen Markets
- Oprah Defends Viral 'Silenced' Question to Meghan Markle: 'I Wanted to Be Clear'—Fans Aren't Buying It
- ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ Co-Creator Bill Prady Explains the Science Behind the Show’s Multiverse