Orient chairman Hearn vows to fight to the end
“If that means standing alone as the little guy against the powers that be in authority then so be it,” - Barry Hearn
Orient chairman Barry Hearn was delighted when the club’s application for a judicial review into the decision to award the Olympic Stadium to West Ham United was granted in a High Court hearing on Wednesday.
At the oral hearing Mr Justice Collins reversed an earlier decision which was based on written submissions.
Mr Justice Collins found in favour of both Orient and Tottenham Hotspur in respect of their claims against the London Borough of Newham council, the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the Mayor of London and the Department of Culture media and Sport.
In a statement Hearn said: “The decision is a clear vindication to take legal action to right the injustice.
You may also want to watch:
“It is clear that the judges saw that there was a real case that the Newham loan to enable West Ham to win the bid was illegal.
“The judge was also troubled by the fees paid by West Ham to an OPLC employee saying that this matter deserved further examination.”
Most Read
- 1 Jailed man caught with knife in Stratford to be handed court order
- 2 Worshippers at mosque in Upton Park aim to raise £35k for Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal 2021
- 3 Cause of death remains unknown after body found in disused Forest Gate pub
- 4 Man given community order for 26 counts of criminal damage after scratching name into property
- 5 Body found in derelict pub in Forest Gate
- 6 Forest Gate triple shooting: 'Safety is everybody's business,' councillor says
- 7 Hundreds arrested after police crackdown on county lines
- 8 Thames Barrier closing for 200th time amid potential east London flooding
- 9 Children demand action on global warming at Upton Park protest
- 10 Newham mathematician to fill in for Countdown presenter and expectant mum Rachel Riley
Hearn fears that the impact of West Ham moving so close to Brisbane Road, will signal the death knell of the League One side.
“We will continue to fight to the end to safeguard the future of our club and if that means standing alone as the little guy against the powers that be in authority then so be it,” he said.
“No-one has considered the impact on Leyton Orient of this move and it is not right that the legacy of what will be an amazing Olympic Games could be to put a family Football Club with 130 years of history in its local community out of business.”
There will now be a full judicial review into the decision beginning on October 18.
