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Grieving dad’s dismay at ‘ridiculous’ inquest wait
Alan Hay.
A GRIEVING dad whose son was brutally killed more than a year ago says it is “ridiculous” that he is still waiting to find out how he died.
Norman Hay (pictured below) died in hospital on November 10, 2010, a day after a knife was plunged into his face during a violent scuffle at a flat in St Bees Walk, Hartlepool.
David Howard, 40, was arrested and charged with his murder, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case with lawyers saying he had acted in “self defence”.
The 38-year-old’s family were told they would have to wait for the inquest to find out more information, but Teesside Coroner’s Court have yet to even give the family a date for a full hearing.
Alan Hay, Norman’s devastated dad, called the situation “ridiculous” and said he will try and speak to Hartlepool MP Iain Wright, who has been one of Teesside coroner Michael Sheffield’s biggest critics.
Mr Wright lodged an official complaint against Mr Sheffield at the end of last year, which triggered an investigation by the Office for Judicial Complaints.
On average, families on Teesside have to wait more than 43 weeks for a verdict, when the national average is only 29 weeks. Scores of cases are backed up in the system.
The situation has become so serious that Prime Minister David Cameron told the House of Commons in December that he would personally look into the situation.
Mr Hay previously told the Mail: “I need answers, and I will keep putting pressure on those making these decisions until I get them.
“I’ve got a load of questions and I just want honest replies to them, nothing hidden and everything out in the open.
“I’m not sure what I have to do to find out what happened to my son.”
He added: “It is just ridiculous to have had to wait this long.”
Mr Wright said: “I have raised the matter in Parliament about this issue. An investigation is looking into the matter and that is yet to report back.
“I find it unacceptable that people in our town and the wider Teesside area have to wait twice the national average for the conclusion of inquests.
“The coroner’s office needs to move quickly to make sure things improve.”
Police passed a file about their inquiries to the coroner 12 months ago, after the CPS made the decision to drop charges on January 13, 2011.
The Hartlepool Mail sent a letter to Middlesbrough-based Mr Sheffield last week after asking about Norman’s case and being told correspondence must be put in writing.
He replied: “Regarding this case, I am and have been aware of the Crown Prosecution Service’s present decision.
“Inquiries are still progressing and consequently no date has yet been fixed for the hearing of the inquest.
“Once all the necessary and proportionate investigations required to produce the evidence for the inquest are completed it will be set down for hearing.”
It is believed that Mr Sheffield has a bigger workload after the A&E at the University Hospital of Hartlepool closed last summer and some services were moved away from Hartlepool to the University of North Tees, in Stockton.
People who die in ambulances also have their inquests held at the coroner’s court covering the area of the hospital they were heading to, which is thought to now be mainly North Tees or James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where Norman was taken.
Mr Hay, 68, of Baptist Street, Hartlepool, had a half-hour meeting at Hartlepool Police Station, in Avenue Road, with CPS lawyers 12 months ago and was told self defence is an “absolute defence” in UK law to murder, meaning that the charge can’t be changed to a lesser offence such as grievous bodily harm.
Retired pipe fitter Alan, a dad-of-six and step-dad of four, who is married to Muriel, 65, said at the time that he wanted the case to go before a jury to let “justice decide” what happened on the fateful day.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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