A Preston law firm will seek compensation for the victims atrocities during an uprising in Kenya in the 1950s.
Experts at Tandem Law, on Salter Street, Deepdale, is representing more than 3,000 Kenyans victims of torture during the Mau Mau uprising of the 1950s in the African nation.
They won a historic High Court victory on Friday when three veterans were ruled to have “arguable cases in law” against the British government.
Andrew Lindsay, managing director of the firm, called on the Government to accept responsibility for its role in the atrocities.
He said: “This ruling offers the Government to accept liability and agree compensation and we are hoping it will shorten the timescale we are dealing with.”
London-based law firm, Leigh Day and Co, represented Kenyan veterans Wambugu Wa Nyingi, Paulo Muoka Nzili and Jane Muthoni Mara, opening the way for potentially thousands of claims from Kenyans who suffered similar torture.
Tandem Law has an office in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, employing 30 people working with victims in the African nation.
The FCO said it faced “irredeemable difficulties” on the availability of witnesses and documents and a fair trial was no longer possible and vowed to appeal the decision.
A spokesman said: “The judgment has potentially significant and far-reaching legal implications.
“The normal time limit for bringing a civil action is three to six years. In this case, that period has been extended to over 50 years despite the fact that the key decision makers are dead and unable to give their account of what happened.
“Since this is an important legal issue, we have taken the decision to appeal. In light of the legal proceedings it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment any further on the detail of the case.”
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