Five years and still fighting – Does this little boy’s black life matter?

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In the early hours of 8th February 2014, Zane aged 7 and his mum and dad, were all taken ill from their Surrey home which was infused with ‘25,000 parts per million very high readings of Hydrogen Cyanide Gas’ According to the National incident Log read out at a coroner hearing December 2015.

Last week marked ‘Five Years and Still No Justice for Zane’. The Mail on Sunday call Zane’s case ‘The Most Toxic Cover Up of Them All’.

A coroner ruled in September 2016 that on the ‘balance of probability’ Zane had died from a carbon monoxide level of 8 per cent in his blood and that the cyanide readings may have been oxides of nitrogen in exhaust fumes from fire engines.

However, Zane’s parents – Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler – say the inquest was “flawed” and have always referenced the data and evidence which suggests he was killed by hydrogen cyanide washed from a neighbouring landfill site into their house by the floods as confirmed by state evidence the day Zane died.

Since the inquest verdict, Zane’s parents have called for an Independent Panel Inquiry to examine their son’s death, similar to the inquiry that examined those that died at Hillsborough.

This week at a Parliamentary event for Zane, the union representing firefighters who attended the scene claim crucial evidence was suppressed.

Lee Belsten, secretary of the Fire Brigades Union in Surrey, said: ‘It was our firefighters who detected hydrogen cyanide at the property and our members believe that the verdict of the coroner was highly questionable.  We will expose the true events and hold to account those individuals and authorities who we believe lied and withheld crucial evidence.’

The Parliamentary meeting also heard from Labour frontbencher Sir Keir Starmer MP, who said: “This is such an important case on its own individual facts and what it exposes about our institutions’ ability to get to the truth.

“We have got the question of whether the inquest system has the ability to really dig down to the truth in a way that gives families confidence.”

Another Labour MP, Jess Phillips, said she saw “parallels” between the Gbangbola’s campaign and the long-running campaign to reopen the inquests into the deaths of the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings.

Speaking outside Parliament, Ms Phillips said: “I don’t think the state has the provision to allow ordinary citizens to get justice.

“What I hope is proven is there hasn’t been a cover up, but I feel the state covers its back all the time.”

Mr Gbangbola, who was paralysed in the same incident, told the meeting he and his wife would continue to ask for an Independent Inquiry to restore Zane’s rights as a human being to proper full and fearless investigation into the facts and evidence surrounding Zane’s death “.  This burning injustice can not continue, he urged politicians to look and not look away when injustice for a child stares them in the face.  35,000 people and rising have signed Zane’s petition calling for justice, all support is welcome, go to www.TruthAboutZane.com where you can read the full storey and sign the petition.

By Kye Gbangbola