Friday, September 14, 2012

The Hillsborough independent report was released on Wednesday, and David Cameron's apology made the first story on Newsround's flagship 5pm bulletin that day -

Ricky: It's rare for a prime minister to stand up and make a public apology. But today that's what he's done. David Cameron said he's sorry to the families of Liverpool fans who died in the worst disaster in British football history.

The disaster is a personal tragedy to each and every one of the families who lost relatives and friends. And laying the blame on the fans themselves must have made it that much harder to bear. The truth has come out and the people of Liverpool may start to get justice.

But there's a family in Liverpool who may never see justice. A boy named Michael Causer was born just months after the Hillsborough disaster. Michael died in August 2008 as a result of a vicious attack. He was kicked in the head and died in hospital a few days later. It was a hate crime - Michael was murdered because he was gay, and for no other reason.

Yet despite the brutality involved the case went virtually unreported by the national media - including the BBC.

The person primarily responsible for Michael's death walked free from Liverpool Crown Court in what is every bit as much an injustice as each of the families of the 96 Hillsborough deaths has suffered. Overwhelming evidence from a thorough police investigation had been presented by the prosecution, so the acquittal, in a 10-2 majority verdict, was likely the result of prejudice by many members of the jury, taken together with Mr Justice Timothy King's pusillanimous summing up.

Perhaps the media should be concerned about all cases of injustice.

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