The coroner's County Hall, where the inquest is being held is a strange place.
Dr Arthur Davis, the coroner, sits on a chair, flanked by two shorter chairs — the focus of the sloping semi-circular chamber.
On the leather benches to his left are the jury and the mainly black relatives and friends of the 13 who died. leaders of the New Cross comsuch as John La Rose, follow the proceedings closely.
Directly facing the coroner are the press benches with journalists from national dailies, panies, and a few like myself from socialist, black, and community papers.
Galleries To the coroner's right sit the police, including the brass, who listen intently and for the most part without expression.
eye rises, slabs of especially streaked marble, moves on to corinthian then to the public galleries insinuated into the walls These are filled with black people who shout, jeer according to what is being said and who is saying it.
The day begins badly for the court administrators. First, three witnesses can't be found, then when the next witness 1s called, his lawyer isn't there.
The machinery finally gets into gear; Saunders has taken the oath, and the questioning by the coroner starts. But breaks loose outside in the hall.
woman's through into the 'You fucking racist bastards... let me see them.
The reporter Times tries to get out to see what's happening but the court flunky on the door won't let her. She comes back muttering in disbelief. Locked up The proceedings come to a halt because other journalists and black leaders are tearing out, and the noise from outside is totally distracting. It emerges that the court had locked two young witnesses in a room and when Mrs Williams, the mother of the 15-year-old, had tried to speak lo ner son sac was not permitted to do so.
From the beginning of the investigation the police have excluded all explanations for the fire other than that it was the THE inquest into the Deptford fire that killed 13 young black people earlier this year must be unique in the history of such inquiries.
The political campaign organised by the New Cross Massacre Action Committee has TONI GORTON went to the inquest last Thursday and gives her impressions.
court at Westminster, died caused it.
high-backed substantiate it.
tomato-coloured started.
Various filled the big the TV comlingers on horrible columns, and clap, and of story? result of a fight inside the house questioned and that one of the youths who down.
The police have persevered with their story and they have Truth gone to enormous lengths to force the survivors of the fire to there Leroy, the witness, explains taken down, that there hadn't been any fight ed. and that he hadn't gone into the front room where the fire He had made statements to What had led to his change On 24 February Leroy says he had seen one of his friends being taken away in a police car. He phoned the police station and then went down 'to see what was going on'.
After Leroy had been sitting in the police station for 10 minutes a woman police officer took him into the canteen and him for several hours without writing anything A statement saying that wasn't any fight which Leroy signHe explains that he was then moved to Lewisham police station where he was put in a freezing cell, with two blankets and a bed that was just like 'Sgt Cork threatened that if I didn't tell the truth he would charge me with conspiracy subvert the course of justice and that he'd break my neck 'He kept on and on at me."
Was he ever told that he couldn't be arrested for telling lies? No.
Did anyone tell him his legal rights? (No Was a solicitor called? No. Did they tell Leroy how long he would be locked up? No.
Why did he say that there had been a fight when previously he said there wasn't?
'Because thought they were going to let me rot in there and thought might get beaten up if I didn't.' Two-facing Michael Corkery QC, who is the council for the Metro. politan Police, then questions Leroy His line, heavy aimed trap the youth into admitting that he conspired with the other people at the party and that the 25 February statement was true.
Unfortunately for Corkery he got himself trapped into an exchange he asserted that he was just trying to get at the truth. Leroy, exhausted by over three hours on the stand, snapped back: 'You're not -you're trying to rubbish my Yonderwo-facing questions... you!
During the day there were challenges from the More than once bereaved mother screamed out in frustration and rage at the coroner and the police. Friends would calm and console her while the coroner looked uncomfortable.
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put the police on trial amid scenes of black anger and a refusal to be intimidated.