A LAWYER who specialises in neglect of duty within the police service is the final member to be appointed to the Hillsborough panel.
Raju Bhatt was yesterday announced as the eighth person to be approved on to the committee which is set to pore over 2m documents about the 1989 tragedy which have never been made public.
Rt Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, who is leading the panel, said: “Raju is a highly regarded and experienced lawyer in the field of coroner's law who brings with him the legal expertise to complement the skills held by other panel members needed to carry out the important tasks set out by the Home Secretary. Some outstanding candidates were considered in this process, which marks the final appointment to the panel.”
Mr Bhatt is a partner and founder of human rights law firm Bhatt Murphy, and specialises in private and public challenges against the state.
He is well known for advising those who have suffered abuses of power or neglect of duty within the police and prison services.
His is also an authority in helping families whose loved ones have died in custody.
His cases include the Victoria Climbié inquiry and the Al-Skeini case about civilian deaths at the hands of British soldiers in Iraq.
The Bishop, meanwhile, was in Liverpool yesterday along with panel members Katy Jones, a TV producer, and medical expert Bill Kirkup, to meet families from the Hillsborough Justice Campaign at their Anfield headquarters.
The group, separate to the Hillsborough Families Support Group, also represents survivors of the Leppings Lane tragedy.
It comes as the Prime Minister revealed that he will send a message of sympathy to the Hillsborough families at next month’s 21st anniversary.
Gordon Brown said: “I will ensure that the appropriate message is sent.”
Aides said he was unlikely to attend himself because he wanted to avoid any suggestion that he would use the tragedy as a "political points-scorer" in the middle of a general election campaign.
Cross-party agreement has been reached to ensure that politicians – apart from those directly involved by representing constituency victims – should not take seats intended for families and fans at the ticket-only, 10,000-strong event.
The panel is expected to take up to two years examining the huge number of files about the disaster, with the ultimate intention of placing the information in the public domain.
The drive, announced following the strong wave of protest towards the Government in the run-up to last year’s 20th anniversary, could potentially see people finally held accountable for the 1989 tragedy.
The panel will gather at locations around the country including Sheffield and Liverpool as they study files from South Yorkshire Police and the region’s ambulance and fire services, along with papers belonging to Sheffield Wednesday football club and the city council.
