Delays to justice after disasters such as Grenfell are ‘stain on society’, says new victims advocate for England and Wales

Cindy Butts says she’s determined to stop victims being forced to investigate for themselves after state failings

Victims of disasters such as Hillsborough and Grenfell having to wait years for justice is “shameful and a stain on our society”, the new Independent Public Advocate (IPA) has said in her first interview in the role.

The former police complaints commissioner Cindy Butts said she was determined to stop people from being forced to “become investigators and de facto lawyers at the time of grief” in order to get justice after tragedies involving state failings in England and Wales.