High Court grants new inquest into death of Ella Kissi-Debrah

Following the ruling to quash the inquest of Ella Kissi-Debrah and grant a new one Ella’s mother Rosamund released this statement: “I am absolutely delighted by today’s ruling and look forward to finally getting the truth about Ella’s death. The past six years of not knowing why my beautiful, bright and bubbly daughter died has been difficult for me and my family, but I hope the new inquest will answer whether air pollution took her away from us. If it is proved that pollution killed Ella then the Government will be forced to sit up and take notice that this hidden but deadly killer is cutting short our children’s lives.”

Jocelyn Cockburn, Partner at Hodge Jones & Allen, who represents Rosamund, said: “We are pleased that we have been granted a new inquest for Ella so we can find out if her death was avoidable and if air pollution contributed to her death. A new inquest will also mean the Government and other public bodies will have to answer difficult questions about why they have ignored the overwhelming evidence about the detrimental health impact of air pollution and allowed illegal levels to persist for more than a decade. There is now momentum for change and it is fundamental that air pollution is brought down to within lawful limits.”