The 12th of July is a day which Maria Kernan will never forget. A year ago in 2001 her son Andrew needed assistance due to a mental illness. She took the usual action by holding Andrews bedroom door shut from the outside and calling by phone for an 'on-call crisis team' who arrived late and called the Police for assistance. Maria Kernan was placed in a Police Car and Officers from Merseyside Police then somehow turned what was a medical crisis into an armed raid.

According to the reports Maria Kernan has, there were 44 Officers in attendance at the incident Her son suffering from a long tern mental illness waited over an hour for health workers trained in such incidents to arrive, allegedly they were at a chip shop and were delayed. The Police shot Andrew Kennan for allegedly being in possession of a samuri sword and endangering the lives of officers and others.The health workers could not cope with the problem at hand and so the Police took over the operation. Andrew was still in the House when Officers arrived, up to 44 Police were in attendence yet they could not prevent Andrew, who must have been terrified, from somehow escaping into the street with an ornamental sword.

JUSTICE FOR ANDREW KERNAN

There is to be an Inquest in December where the shooting of Andrew will be recreated using computer digital imaging software. The Jury may also see the actual flat in Wellington Rd Wavertree where 44 Police Officers waited outside. Liverpool coroner Andre Rebello has announced there will be four weeks set aside for the inquest which starts on December 11 2002. The Police Complaints Authority hauled in Greater Manchester Police to investigate the incident,experienced campaigners for social Justice point out that this procedure of Police investigating Police must be stopped if we are to have far reaching 'no stones left unturned' investigations. The file for Andrews case is now in the hands of the Crown Prosecution Service.