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Victims' families in limbo as they wait for 7/7 inquest
Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter07.07.08
Relatives of those murdered in the 7/7 bombings today told how they feel stuck "in limbo" as they wait for an inquest.
On the third anniversary of the terror attack, families spoke of their struggle for closure in the absence of a death certificate and a public hearing.
No inquests have taken place into the circumstances of the bombings in which 52 people were murdered on three Tube trains and a bus by British-born Muslim extremists.
The coroner has warned the families that no hearing can take place until a current trial of three men accused of helping the 7/7 bombers is complete.
Relatives have been warned that the earliest possible start date for an inquest is the autumn, although they fear it could be pushed back by further prosecutions.
John Taylor, whose daughter Carrie, 24, died in the explosion at Aldgate, said today: "The coroner has told us that when the court case finishes he will reassess it again and speak to the police about whether there are any further inquiries.
"I don't think we will have an inquest for a very long time. I just feel it will roll on and roll on and roll on.
"It's not helping. It leaves us in limbo. We will never get complete closure but this does not help.
"We don't have a full death certificate and we can't get one until there is an inquest. It makes it very difficult."
Sean Cassidy, whose son Ciaran, 22, was killed at King's Cross, said: "It seems it has been going on such a long time but then you think the Diana inquest took 10 years and could that happen to us?
"I would be glad if we could have closure and they could have an inquest but maybe the reason it is being held up is because the authorities don't like it."
Lawyer Clifford Tibber, who represents a large number of families pressing for a public inquiry into 7/7, described the delay as highly distressing for many of his clients. Mr Tibber, a partner at Oury Clark solicitors, said today: "The inquest can't and won't happen until after the current trial [at Kingston crown court].
"Those proceedings have to be completed first which is incredibly upsetting for the families."
It is unsure what form the inquest - when it is finally held - will take. Families have already expressed concern over whether it will look into not only the deaths of the 52 commuters but the four suicide bombers as well.
One joint inquest would lead to families of the bombers and families of the victims sitting next to each other in the coroner's court.
The alternative is to have two separate inquests but that would increase costs and prolong the process.
There are even fears that the hearings could be held in secret under the current counter terrorism Bill. Mr Tibber said: "The whole inquest issue has not been addressed. "If the Bill is passed into law there is a chance that at least part of the inquest will be held in secret.
"Nobody knows what type of inquest it will be and whether the bombers will have a separate inquest.
"If it is not a separate inquest you will have families of the bombers sitting side by side with their victim's families. Nobody has dealt with that. "It might well be desirable for all the facts to be brought out in the one inquest but for the relatives of both the victims and the bombers it will make for a very difficult time."
The inquest will be held at St Pancras coroner's court. The coroner Dr Andrew Reid angered relatives who were sent - without warning - post mortem reports in the post, detailing the horrific injuries suffered by the victims of the bombers. The court is refusing to speak to the Evening Standard until the Kingston crown court trial is finished.
