Latest Developments
All the latest news about the campaign will be posted here:
August 2, 2024
51st Commemoration Ceremony Takes Place
A solemn gathering took place at 7 p.m. last night at the Summerland site on the Isle of Man to honor the victims of the devastating fire that occurred 51 years ago. The event was marked by speeches and remembrances from campaigners and members of the community.
Isle of Man campaigner Tina Brennan opened the proceedings, followed by a heartfelt address from Ian Brandwood, Chair of the Justice For Summerland Campaign. Brandwood emphasized the campaign's primary objective: to overturn the death by misadventure verdict linked to the fire. He also highlighted the serious errors that contributed to the tragedy, which remains a painful memory for the island.
One notable aspect of the evening was the absence of key Isle of Man authorities. While the Mayor of Douglas Council, Natalie Byron-Teare, was in attendance, the Chief Minister and Chief Constable were conspicuously absent from both the vigil and the earlier service held at Kaye Gardens.
May 23, 2024
Top Human Rights Lawyer joins the Campaign
Darragh Mackin
Partner, Phoenix Law
The Justice For Summerland Campaign Group has today announced its intention to formally apply to the Isle of Man Attorney General seeking a fresh Inquest into the tragedy.
After campaigning for a number of years to overturn the death by misadventure verdict, the Campaign Group has announced that it is to take legal action in an attempt to reopen the inquest and to overturn the verdict.
It has received a major boost with leading human rights lawyers, Phoenix Law, having accepted instructions to act for the families. Phoenix Law have been involved in some of the most high profile and significant legal challenges in recent history including successfully securing a new inquest and overturning the inquest verdict in the landmark Stardust Fire Case (Dublin 1981) in May of this year.
A spokesperson for Justice for Summerland said:
A number of our members have been campaigning for many years to get this perverse verdict overturned in an attempt to bring some justice for those who perished, the survivors, the injured and their families, some of whom, lost parents, grandparents and all affected by this horrific and preventable disaster.
Over the last year, we have stepped up our engagement with both the UK and Isle of Man Governments but to no avail. Despite the support of a couple of our local MPs (for which we are grateful) the UK Justice Secretary seems intent on brushing concerns under the carpet.
The Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, Alfred Cannan told us in May of last year that he would seek to help with the inquiry being re-opened and look into horrific mistakes with the repatriation of some of the victims’ remains. We also asked for the site to be maintained in a respectful way and a fitting memorial, proportionate in size to this huge and devastating disaster to be provided. There is nothing to suggest that he has sought to address any of these issues.
We are now left with no option other than to pursue a formal application to the Attorney General for a fresh inquest which would investigate all of the circumstances, consider all of the evidence and come to a just verdict.
To now have an organisation of the stature of Phoenix Law supporting us is an enormous boost. We are hopeful that with their support, we will at last get an unbiased and fair inquest, a verdict reflecting the truth and achieving a proper and just outcome to bring some closure for the hundreds of people that have been affected by and suffered as a consequence of this horrific disaster which clearly should never have happened.
Darragh Mackin, Partner, Head of Public Law, Inquests and Inquiries at Phoenix Law said:
The Summerland disaster remains one of the greatest miscarriages of justice on these isles. The current record to which depicts a verdict of ‘misadventure’ is not only viewed as an insult by these victims, but it is wholly unreflective of the evidence. Given the developments in forensic science and the existence of new evidence, the Summerland disaster now calls for a fresh investigation so that the record can once and for all be corrected and that these families may achieve truth, justice and accountability. We have this week, notified the Attorney General of our intention to apply for a fresh inquest touching upon this disaster and a formal application will follow in the weeks ahead.