The bereaved deserve a fair hearing

TOMORROW marks the 25th anniversary of the Stardust fire in which 48 young people lost their lives.

Most of the families are anxious about the need to reconsider what happened.

They have engaged expert opinion, but it would seem that Minister for Justice Michael McDowell is exhibiting his legendary insensitivity by dismissively suggesting there is no new evidence to warrant re-opening the inquiry.

While the minister is not renowned for his tact, he should recognise that the families are suffering under the burden of a perceived sense of grievous injustice.

Whether the perception turns out to be justified or not, they do deserve a sympathetic hearing, because justice needs to be seen to be done.

Part of the initial tribunal report was very critical of the locked exit doors, but the families have been upset by Mr Justice Ronan Keane’s finding that the fire was set deliberately. No evidence was every produced to support this conclusion.

Any suggestion that the culprits may have perished in the fire is all the more hurtful to those who have lost loved ones. They suspect there were other causes and their suspicions should be heard, especially when they have assembled an array of expert opinion calling for the tragedy to be reconsidered.