My heart goes out to the family of Andrew Devine – whose death in Liverpool makes him the 97th fatality of the Hillsborough tragedy.
Andrew was my constituent and, as his MP, I had the privilege to meet him and his wonderful family. Their love and devotion to Andrew over the intervening 32 years – and their refusal to be pressurised into giving up on his life – showed exemplary and extraordinary humanity and courage.
The statement issued by the family yesterday speaks volumes:
“Our collective devastation is overwhelming but so too is the realisation that we were blessed to have had Andrew with us for 32 years since the Hillsborough tragedy.”
“In the intervening years, Andrew has been a much loved son, brother and uncle. He has been supported by his family and a team of dedicated carers, all of whom devoted themselves to him.”
The Liverpool Coroner, Andre Rebello, has rightly ruled that Andrew Devine was unlawfully killed as a result of the injuries he suffered at Hillsborough.
The unlawfulness of these 97 deaths, along with the decades of suffering and pain, is marked by the dignity of the families and the stark contrast with the abysmal failure to provide judicial closure for those who experienced such terrible loss.
May Andrew rest in peace.
In the House of Lords today I challenged the recent Hillsborough Court decision: “Justice delayed and justice denied. New charges of misconduct in public office should be brought.” .
