In a key development in the investigation into the death of Alice Gross, the Coroner has ruled that the inquest should investigate wider questions around what the authorities knew – or ought to have known – about her murder. Garden Court’s Rajeev Thacker and Liberty are representing Alice’s family in the inquest into her death.
Alice is believed to have been killed by Arnis Zalkans, who had come to the UK from Latvia and had previously been convicted of murdering his ex-wife in Latvia.
Rajeev and Liberty had made submissions to the Coroner arguing that the case engages Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR is enshrined into UK law in the Human Rights Act (HRA). This development highlights the practical ways in which the HRA is used as a vital tool for justice in the courts and provides yet another compelling argument as to why the HRA should be protected at all costs.
Commenting on the development, Alice’s parents have said,
“This jury will be able to explore the systems that were in place when Zalkalns, a convicted murderer, came into the country and whether or not there were any failures on the part of the Home Office or police … it is only because of the Human Rights Act that we have been able to ask the coroner to investigate these questions."
More information can be found in Liberty’s press release. This development has been covered by the BBC and the Evening Standard.
Rajeev Thacker, of Garden Court’s Inquests Team, is instructed by Emma Norton of Liberty in the inquest.
