The council had not performed checks on the tree for over a year and a half - that was their inaction and an inqest was opened.
That's different story. That could be negligence but there is no intention to cause harm involved; it was an accident. But let's say you saw someone in peril, for example, you saw someone drowning a couple of feet away from you, and with zero risk to yourself, you did not throw a rope or a lifesaver that was nearby or even attempt to help, you simply walked away. In this case, you could be morally responsible; but should you be held legally responsible is the issue that I was responding to in my previous post.