The Inquests 4: Decision time

So we have two choices, go to high court for a JR on our being refused IP status. Or keep our powder dry. As ever, we talk through the options. We have another survivor and a campaigner on a conference call and a decision is made. If we go for the JR and lose, we are all played out, we have lost and we can no longer influence the Coroner.

Or hold off, inform the Coroner that we have instructed our lawyers we will JR the minute we feel our interests are not being fully represented in court during the summing up. (One of his arguments was that the family lawyers were already representing us, as they had survivors who lost loved ones within their ranks.)

We also now had a huge ace up our sleeve – If you shit on us and we lose, we will be in court within days asking for Q7 to be found unsafe, as the people you found against were unrepresented. Not because we didn't ask, but because the Coroner refused to allow us to defend ourselves.

That is a pretty strong card and we are happy that whilst we haven't got IP status confirmed, we have managed to ensure the Coroner knows, not suspects, he knows that the fans will be making merry hell if things go against us. We now have the legal argument, the lawyer, the families' support, the funding (from families) and we also have the press. Two of our gang are journalists. One of our supporters used to work at the Sunday Times and is well connected. We have contacts at the BBC, ITV and C4 News. I have already done interviews with the BBC and ITV about the WMP. If things go against us, getting access to the media will not be difficult.

So the final stage comes into play, We called it Operation Vigilance. Get to the inquests and be visible. The Coroner's team know who we are, and I take every chance to make sure they know I am there. During the legal arguments I make a point of sending lots of emails, lots of texts, to be outside for phone calls. I even take my own dongle so I can email without using the court wifi.

In the breaks I chat to family members, initially as we need to build relations in case things go against us. Soon we chat for no other reason than that they are really nice people. Humble and reassuring, they reassure us we did nothing wrong and that they don't believe the SYP testimony. On a couple of occasions I get upset by the evidence, once literally walking out in tears after hearing yet another lying SYP calling us “animals” and this is presented by the Coroner in his summing up. The family members are supportive and I get a couple of hugs, much appreciated and much needed.

At one point a guy from the court team even comes and sits behind me. I give him a proper stare and move my seat to the back row. We are here, we are watching and we have a fcking great big pile of dung we are going to drop on your head Mr Coroner if you shit on us and if your jury find against us. You will be vilified in the press as the man who refused to allow survivors the right to defend themselves. Unprecedented, unfair and highly questionable legal decisions. That's some legacy you are being left with.

Well did we make a difference? Who knows and we never will know. What I do know is that I was told that 95% of the families' lawyers submissions towards the summing up were successful. Our little intervention came at just the right time, just as the Coroner was considering all the submissions, we helped to turn the screw. The submissions were accepted, the summing up was changed (we felt it largely fair having heard it) and jury did the rest. We know the Coroner took notice, as he name checked Richie in his summing up about 5 times. That was no doubt his attempt to placate our anger, that or he was trying to undermine our appeal that he knew was coming if Q7 went wrong for us.

The beautiful thing for me, is that it was survivors. We got 3 more survivors to apply, including Di and Val, a horrible decision for them as they, like us, risked getting the IP status and holding things up. Luckily they were are brave as we were. Like many that had been through unspeakable trauma on the day and many times since. Like many they were worried about Q7 and distraught at the idea they and we could take any of the blame. But they were determined, determined to do anything, anything that might help the fight for justice, no matter how small.

So we had six of us rejected and ironically we were all formally cleared as part of the rejection. Six of us exonerated but as Val said, that means nothing without the jury clearing everyone.