logo
Bid for fresh Summerland fire inquest rejected

Bid for fresh Summerland fire inquest rejected

Yahoo16-05-2025

An application for a fresh inquest into the deaths of 50 people in the 1973 Summerland fire disaster has been rejected by the Isle of Man's Attorney General.
A group representing some of the victims and survivors of the tragedy made a formal submission in March, calling to reopen the case.
Justice for Summerland previously called for the original misadventure verdicts for the 50 people that died, to be overturned.
With the latest application, the Attorney General said there was "no fresh evidence revealing any relevant or material errors or misunderstanding" in the original investigation in 1974.
About 3,000 people were at the Summerland entertainment complex when a blaze broke out on the evening of 2 August 1973.
It was thought to have been started by three boys from Liverpool smoking.
A public inquiry held in the aftermath found there were "no villains" and only human beings who made mistakes.
Belfast-based human rights law firm Phoenix Law, which represented the families, had made the application for a new inquest, saying there had been an "irregularity of proceedings in the original inquest" which had not commented on or addressed "substantial issues" including the cause of the fire.
However, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Chambers said the investigations and findings of the report produced in May 1974, produced by the Summerland Fire Commission, "comprised a thorough, effective and proportionate inquiry into how the fire took hold and spread, and how it came to be so fatal".
He said: "The application made to the Attorney General presents no fresh evidence revealing any relevant or material errors or misunderstanding in the detailed findings of the Summerland Commission Report.
"Speculation that there might be evidence which might call the commission's findings into question does not constitute relevant fresh evidence."
"The 1974 verdicts place no responsibility whatsoever on the innocent victims."
Phoenix Law previously said it wanted to reopen the case to "ensure a comprehensive investigation" using "modern legal and forensic standards".
In a letter from the Attorney General to the law firm, it said it recognised the sensitivity around the case, but had to consider the legal basis for reopening it without emotion.
He added that nothing said was intended to add to "their burden or ongoing grief" and he was "very sorry if it does so".
Phoenix Law has been contacted for a response.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Fresh bid for Summerland fire inquest submitted
Bid for fresh Summerland inquest not yet received
Commemorations mark 51 years since Summerland fire
Campaigners to apply for fresh Summerland inquest
Justice for Summerland Campaign

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

After video shows Ellwood City officer confronting man, another shares similar encounter
After video shows Ellwood City officer confronting man, another shares similar encounter

CBS News

timean hour ago

  • CBS News

After video shows Ellwood City officer confronting man, another shares similar encounter

An Ellwood City police officer is being investigated following a controversial video. A man who had a similar encounter a few years ago spoke with KDKA-TV. Perry Malcolm said he was tased when he went to the police department to dispute a parking ticket in 2017. You can't see anything, but you can hear Perry Malcolm and two other officers. He identifies one of them as officer Rob Magnifico. "They ended up dropping everything once I went to court and showed them the video," Malcolm said. "Magnifico and the other officer, they took me to the ground." Malcolm continued. "I cursed at him, and he said, 'why do you think you could say whatever you want?'" he said. Fast forward to 2025 at the Sheetz in Ellwood City last Friday with Magnifico and 20-year-old Devin Hartmann. "I'm actually surprised he didn't do worse, but I feel bad for the young man that has to deal with this now. Hopefully he gets the justice he deserves, or at least the process works its way out," Malcolm said. "Do you feel you ever got the justice you deserve?" KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah reports. "No, like I said, he's still here, he's still going to end up retiring with a pension," Malcolm answered. Mayor Anthony Court on Monday said there was an investigation into the 2017 video, but it went nowhere. "That came to fruition, as we proceeded, it didn't get much steam," Court said. Magnifico is the head football coach for Riverside Beaver County School District. KDKA-TV reached out to the superintendent but didn't hear back by airtime. "I happened to talk to a couple of the guys on the team, and they tell me how he's a good coach. But I mean, when he retaliates like that, it's kind of hard to paint a picture that's nice about him, you know?" Malcolm said. Magnifico is on personal time off. Right now, city leaders are investigating his conduct. KDKA-TV reached out to Magnifico to set up an interview but hasn't heard back.

The Justice Department wants to end an agreement it reached with a Pa. bank it accused of redlining in Philly
The Justice Department wants to end an agreement it reached with a Pa. bank it accused of redlining in Philly

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

The Justice Department wants to end an agreement it reached with a Pa. bank it accused of redlining in Philly

Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice accused a Pennsylvania bank of redlining - avoiding lending in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia. ESSA Bank & Trust, based in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, denied the accusations but entered into a settlement agreement with the federal government in which the bank had to give more than $2.9 million in loan subsidies to homebuyers in formerly redlined communities. The bank also agreed to devote resources to soliciting mortgage applications from Philadelphia residents in neighborhoods it was accused of ignoring, to include Philadelphians in its program for low- and moderate-income homebuyers, to work with local groups to provide homebuyer education, and to target historically excluded neighborhoods with its advertising. On Friday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to allow it to end the five-year agreement three years early. The court filing is in line with other recent Justice Department moves across the country to end similar fair-housing and antidiscrimination settlement agreements. Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, said in a statement that by taking these actions, "this administration is empowering bad actors and leaving millions of our nation's most vulnerable unprotected and exposed." The Justice Department said in its motion Friday that ESSA Bank "has demonstrated a commitment to remediation," including disbursing required loan subsidies, and is "substantially in compliance" with other terms of the court order. The bank did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The department noted that its motion was "unopposed." But on Monday, the National Fair Housing Alliance and local civil rights organizations filed a motion asking to join the case and opposing cutting short the legal agreement. "This effort would strip West and Southwest Philadelphia communities of the hard-won protections they were promised just two years ago," Rachel Wentworth, executive director of the nonprofit Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. "For decades, banks of all kinds have used redlining to deny neighborhoods of color access to wealth and opportunity, and ending this consent order sends a devastating message to these communities." The Philadelphia-based Public Interest Law Center and the law firm Stapleton Segal Cochran LLC, which has offices in Philadelphia and Marlton, are representing the Housing Equality Center, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and POWER Interfaith, the Pennsylvania faith-based community organizing network, as they oppose the Justice Department's motion to end the agreement. Eli Segal of Stapleton Segal Cochran said in a statement that "the rule of law demands more here than vague assurances of 'substantial compliance.' It demands court-ordered action." Olivia Mania, attorney and Penn Carey Law Catalyst Fellow at the Public Interest Law Center, said in an interview that "communities in and around Philadelphia deserve access to a lending market that's free from discrimination." "This isn't just about one bank," Mania said in a statement. "It's about whether the federal government will honor its role in dismantling structural racism in the housing market - or walk away when the cameras are off. The parties should be held to the terms of the consent order to ensure real, lasting change." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.

Rapper Key Glock's entourage busted – with loaded Glocks – on way into Governors Ball: sources
Rapper Key Glock's entourage busted – with loaded Glocks – on way into Governors Ball: sources

New York Post

time2 hours ago

  • New York Post

Rapper Key Glock's entourage busted – with loaded Glocks – on way into Governors Ball: sources

Two members of rapper Key Glock's entourage were busted – both for packing loaded Glocks – as they made their way into the Governors Ball over the weekend, law enforcement sources and prosecutors said. Joshua Crutcher, 31, and Dion Michaels, 22 – part of the entourage of the Memphis-based rapper, who was set to perform at the famed New York City music festival – were cornered by security as they tried to enter the VIP area Sunday, the sources said. Both men were stopped in their tracks as they pulled up to Flushing Meadows Corona Park around 5 p.m., according to a complaint filed in Queens Criminal Court. 3 The two men, part of Key Glock's entourage, were busted Sunday with loaded Glocks as they tried to enter the Governors Ball, prosecutors and sources said. Getty Images Crutcher was found to be carrying a .40 caliber Glock 23 firearm in his waistband, the court doc charged. The weapon, capable of holding 22 rounds, was loaded with 18 rounds – with one in the chamber, prosecutors said. Michaels, meanwhile, was driving up to the venue in a silver Ford when a security guard asked him if there were any guns in the car – and he admitted that there was one in the center console, according to the complaint. 3 Crutcher was toting a Glock in his waistband and Michaels had one in his car, prosecutors said. Brandon Nagy/Shutterstock The guard found the weapon, a 9mm Glock 43x firearm, nearly loaded to capacity with 9 rounds, one in the chamber, the court doc said. A magazine was also recovered holding 20 9mm rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said. A switchblade was also recovered from the center console of the Ford, according to the court papers. Both men were slapped with various weapon possession charges, including felonies, according to prosecutors. 3 Both men face various weapon possession charges, prosecutors said. Getty Images Crutcher was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail or $30,000 bond during his Tuesday arraignment, and ordered to return to court June 18. Michaels was released on his own recognizance Monday night, with his next court appearance scheduled for August 13, online court records show. It was unclear whether Key Glock, 27, was with either of the men as they made their way inside the festival. Born Markeyvius LaShun Cathey – the cousin of late Memphis rapper Young Dolph – Key Glock released his fourth studio album, Glockaveli, just last month. His appearance at Governors Ball was part of the Glockaveli tour, which began May 21 and wraps up June 30 – spanning 21 U.S. cities, according to his Instagram.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store