Hung Jury - 7/7 Trial

On one level I haven’t given the trial much thought. I have received the daily updates from our Metropolitan Police Liaison officer, quickly skimmed through them and then just waited. I waited during the 7th July, then the dates in July that are Shelley’s two brothers birthdays, also her dad’s birthday and the date of her funeral service in NZ – all July dates.

I waited. maybe hoping for some kind of justice to strike the hearts of those alleged to have helped plan the murder or my daughter. Had they been found guilty, I expected to feel some kind of long distance satisfaction that the smirks had been wiped off their faces, and that their lives would now be drastically changed by having to spend their every breathing moment in a prison cell.

Had they been found innocent, strangely, I would have been relieved for them, knowing that a vigilant justice system had thrashed out all the details and reached a sound judgment.

I am surprised at the depth of my feeling at the non-result. I guess I wanted a decision, one way or another. To have no further clarity and the knowledge that it may well all start over again with a retrial, is quite simply devastating. It feels like the worst possible result. I am none the wiser as to whether they participated or not.

All the families of the dead have to wait for an outcome in this trial before a final inquest can be held, and families delivered the “official” findings. Of course, it makes little difference, we all know our loved ones are dead, how they died. The Inquest is, I guess, just another marker in the journey of loss, and it has just been moved further away with no definite time frame.

There may not even be a retrial, there may be a retrial and then could they appeal if found guilty? I don’t know.

In one way, as I say it doesn’t matter, in another way it does and I know that many families and survivors will find this whole process distressing.

My thoughts are with them all at this time.

Kia kaha

KG