Summerland inquest verdict still 'so wrong' bereaved relative says

A woman whose parents and younger sister were killed in the Summerland fire disaster on the Isle of Man has said the continued inquest verdict of misadventure is "so wrong".

Heather Lea, from Liverpool, lost her parents, Richard and Elizabeth Cheetham, and her 13-year-old sister, June, in the blaze at the Douglas seafront entertainment complex on 2 August 1973.

This week the island's first deemster dismissed an appeal against the Attorney General's rejection of a bid to have fresh inquests into the deaths of those who died.

Lea, who is part of a group of survivors and bereaved relatives behind the application, said the inquest verdict still "needs to be corrected".

"We just want the blame of death by misadventure to be taken away from the 50 people who trusted going into a building to be overturned, that it wasn't their fault," she said.

"I feel it's a blight on the Isle of Man government. They should be doing the right thing."

The Justice for Summerland group has vowed to continue its campaign to have fresh inquests held.

In a statement released after Thursday's judgement was handed down, group founder Jackie Hallam said the group was "disappointed" with the outcome.

Hallam was left with severe burns from the fire which killed her mother, Lorna, and best friend, Jane.

She said campaigners continued to "strongly believe that the 1974 verdicts of death by misadventure were unjust".

"We believe that the inquests at the time were inadequate," she said.

"The public deserve to know that the justice system is prepared to revisit failures where necessary.

"We are asking that the Isle of Man faces the past to properly help right previous wrongs."

Lea's parents and sister were also among the 3,000 people inside the complex when it caught fire.

She said the family were regular visitors to the island, holidaying most years before the fire.

But she said she had vowed never to return as a result of the lack of communication she and the remaining family members had received from Manx authorities in the aftermath of the disaster.

She said when she finally did return, to mark the 40th anniversary of the fire, she was "in shock" and was upset by the derelict nature of the site of the former entertainment complex.

"The memorial is only 15 yards away from the site of where it happened, and the site is still derelict, and nothing's been done."

The site has been empty since the replacement Summerland complex was demolished in the mid-2000s.

Planners recently refused a bid by the government to use part of the site as a car park for 18 months.

Lea said: "It's just a derelict site and to be honest anybody going to the Isle of Man now to face that it's just a disgrace it's a disgrace on the government."

Two memorial services will be held later to mark the 53rd anniversary of the disaster.

Ther first, which begins at 18:45 BST and has been organised by Douglas Council, takes place at the official memorial to those who died.

People attending have been asked to arrive at Kaye Memorial Garden on Queen's Promenade by 18:35.

The second annual commemoration takes place on the site itself, where a minute's silence will be observed at 19:00.

Organiser Tina Brennan said it was to "remember the 50 whose lives were taken so tragically in the fire which devastated our community and so many lives".

"As time passes, it becomes even more important that we remember," she said.

"Not simply because history deserves to be recorded, but because every one of those fifty lives mattered."

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