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The police became a convenient scapegoat, and the Sun newspaper a whipping-boy for daring, albeit in a tasteless fashion, to hint at the wider causes of the incident. Hillsborough trial: 'Not enough' turnstiles at stadium - BBC News [80] Andrew Devine, who was 22 at the time of the disaster, died in 2021 at the age of 55. This game was Liverpool's first appearance on the football field since the disaster two weeks earlier. What he has got to understand is that we were speaking the truth for 23 years and apologies have only started to come today from them because of yesterday. On 8September 2012, just four days before the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report was published, Crompton had emailed the force's assistant chief constable Andy Holt and head of media Mark Thompson. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the two standing-only central pens in the Leppings Lane stand allocated to Liverpool supporters. [77] Jon-Paul Gilhooley, aged 10, was the youngest person to die. Liverpool players Ronnie Whelan, Steve Nicol, and former manager Joe Fagan carried the communion bread and wine. Published. The two teams involved in the Bradford City stadium fire, Bradford City and Lincoln City, met for the first time since the 1985 disaster in a game that raised 25,000 for the Hillsborough fund. 96 people died as a result of the disaster at Hillsborough stadium on 15 April 1989 due to crushing in the central pens of the Leppings Lane Terrace, following the admission of a large number. Share. Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation, 'The patronising disposition of unaccountable power' report. List of archive and library material relating to the disaster held at Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives. Scrutiny of Evidence Relating to the Hillsborough Football Stadium Disaster (Command Paper); Home Office; Sports Stadia After Hillsborough: Seminar Papers; This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 21:14. [126][127], The panel noted that, despite being dismissed by the Taylor Report, the idea that alcohol contributed to the disaster proved remarkably durable. In March 1997just before the eighth anniversary of the disasterit was reported he had emerged from the condition and was able to communicate using a touch-sensitive pad, and he had been showing signs of awareness of his surroundings for up to three years before. [58], At the 1989 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and local rivals Everton, held just five weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, the players from both participating teams wore black armbands as a gesture of respect to the victims. [191], On 9 August 2017, all except Duckenfield appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court. [279], The journalist Edward Pearce was criticised for writing a controversial article in the aftermath of the disaster, at a time when a number of victims' funerals were taking place. [4] Prosecutor Alun Jones told the court that Duckenfield gave the order to open the gates so that hundreds of fans could be herded onto the already crowded terraces at the stadium. Wednesday 6 April 2016, 4:11pm. [195], At a trial preparation hearing at Preston Crown Court on 10September 2018, Duckenfield pleaded not guilty to all 95 charges against him. He dismissed the claim by senior police officers that they had no reason to anticipate problems, since congestion had occurred at both the 1987 and 1988 semi-finals. This prompted 380 complaints and the BBC apologised, saying that the character was simply reminding another character, former football hooligan Jase Dyer, that the actions of hooligans led to the fencing-in of football fans. [197], On 13 March 2019, it was reported that Duckenfield would not be called to give evidence in his defence. It was also reported that the jury would be directed to find Mackrell not guilty on the charge of contravening the stadium's safety certificate due to a lack of evidence. [271], Following the April 2016 verdict of unlawful killing, The Sun and the first print edition of the Times (both owned by News International), did not cover the stories on their front pages, with The Sun relegating the story to pages 8 and 9. This is our response", "Hillsborough inquest verdict: the front pages", "As disgusting as it is unsurprising. [31] Mole had supervised numerous police deployments at the stadium in the past. I bent down to kiss and talk to [my son] and as we stood up there was a policeman who came from behind me . . Finally, seven turnstiles (lettered A to G) provided access to 10,100 standing places in the lower tier of the West Stand. There was insufficient evidence against the police officer to charge him with the offence. The only one called was the Sheffield Wednesday club doctor. Mackrell pleaded not guilty to the charge against him. The extreme reaction to Mr Bigley's murder is fed by the fact that he was a Liverpudlian. Burnham, by then the Sports Minister, addressed the crowd but was heckled by supporters chanting "Justice for the 96". In 2014, to mark the 25th anniversary of the disaster, the FA decided that all FA Cup, Premier League, Football League, and Football Conference matches played between 1114 April would kick-off seven minutes later than originally scheduled with a six-minute delay and a one-minute silence tribute.[218]. [94] Attention was focused on the decision to open the secondary gates; moreover, the kick-off should have been delayed, as had been done at other venues and matches. It noted "The weight placed on alcohol in the face of objective evidence of a pattern of consumption modest for a leisure event was inappropriate. After the two minutes' silence, bells on civic buildings rang out throughout Merseyside. . Former Chief Inspector Sir Norman Bettinson faced four counts of misconduct in public office. The publication was finally discontinued in 2016, for unrelated reasons. [226] The ceremony was attended by survivors of the disaster, families of victims and the Liverpool team, with goalkeeper Pepe Reina leading the team and management staff onto the pitch. Match commander Duckenfield decided to open a gate into the stadium to alleviate pressure at the turnstiles . [35], Three chartered trains transported Liverpool supporters to Sheffield for a match in 1988, but only one such train ran in 1989. The turnstiles didn't seem to be letting people through very quickly, and the crowd was really building up. Duckenfield admitted that he had lied in certain statements regarding the causes of the disaster. The prosecution ended on 24July 2000, when Murray was acquitted and the jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case of Duckenfield. [246] These media reports and others were examined during the 2012 Hillsborough Independent Panel report. [112] The appointment of Stuart-Smith was not without controversy. [221], The event was remembered with a ceremony at Anfield attended by over 28,000 people. The request to delay the start of the match by 20 minutes was declined. [156][157] Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh called for David Cameron to make a formal apology in the House of Commons to the families of those killed at Hillsborough and to the city of Liverpool as a whole. In a post-match briefing to discuss the incident, Sheffield Wednesday chairman Bert McGee remarked: "Bollocksno one would have been killed". [245], Many of the more serious allegationssuch as stealing from the dead and assault of police officers and rescue workersappeared on 18 April,[241] although several evening newspapers published on 15 April 1989 also gave inaccurate reporting of the disaster, as these newspapers went to press before the full extent or circumstances of the disaster had been confirmed or even reported. How They Buried the Truth", "Bruce Grobbelaar: I heard the crowd at Hillsborough cry 'Please help us..', "Senior police officer did not step in, Hillsborough trial hears", "Key Hillsborough Evidence Backed By TV Footage", "Ambulanceman's Struggle to Live with Decisions Made on Pitch at Hillsborough", "Hillsborough: New Probe Backs Crucial Evidence", "Ambulances Got 'Stuck' As They Tried to Enter Hillsborough Stadium, Inquests Hear", "Police to face inquiry as questions go unanaswered", "Liverpool resists pressure to make decision on FA Cup", "Soccer rivals united in grief as church bells toll", "MPs urge Hurd to introduce safety gates into 'killer cages', "Feature: It's Up For Grabs Now The 20th Anniversary Of Anfield 1989", "A random sample of letters from public, schools and clubs reflecting the nature of donations to the disaster appeal fund", "College course developed with funds from the Hillsborough Disaster Appeal Fund goes from strength to strength", "The Official Charts Company Ferry Cross The Mersey by Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson, The Christians and Stock Aitken Waterman Search", "Hillsborough: Brian Reade on the day that changed football forever", "Mum pays tribute to teenage Hillsborough victim Lee Nicol from Smollett Street Bootle", "James Milner's Hillsborough Liverpool Champions League", "A statement from the family of Andrew Devine", "Steven Brown, 25 Hillsborough 96 Hillsborough Remembered", "Peter Thompson, 30 Hillsborough 96 Hillsborough Remembered", "Steven Gerrard says death of his cousin at Hillsborough was biggest inspiration", "Hillsborough's '97th victim' remembered", "Hillsborough: how stories of disaster police were altered", "Timeline of a 27 year fight for the truth after the Hillsborough disaster", "Judgement of Divisional Court, 5 November 1993 application to quash the Inquest verdicts of six of the Hillsborough victims", "European court blow for mother of Hillsborough victim", "Two doctors who criticised Hillsborough ambulance response speak of "vindication" after inquests", "The two doctors who criticised the Hillsborough ambulance response", "Football: Long haul to implement Taylor Report", "The Architects Journal:Building Study (September 1993)", "The Stuart Smith Scrutiny Hillsborough Football Disaster", "Scrutiny of Evidence Relating to the Hillsborough Football Stadium Disaster", "Hillsborough inquiry by Blair government criticised", "Hillsborough Independent Panel: Disclosed Material and Report | Home page", "Organisations and people whose material has been reviewed", "Hillsborough panel set to publish report on 1989 disaster", "Who are the members of the Hillsborough Independent Panel? [86] The Hillsborough Independent Panel considered the available evidence and stated that "the initial pathologist's opinion appeared definitive, but further authoritative opinions raised significant doubts about the accuracy of that initial opinion. Devine died in 2021, as a consequence of the injuries sustained at Hillsborough, with his death being ruled by the coroner to have been an unlawful killing, raising the total death toll of the disaster to 97.[73][74][75]. South Yorkshire's police and crime commissioner Shaun Wright appointed chief constable Simon Parr of Cambridgeshire Constabulary to head an investigation into the matter. ", "Hillsborough: Freemason cops banned from working on criminal probe into cover-up", "Freemasons barred from investigation into alleged Hillsborough 'cover-up', "Hillsborough disaster: Why have freemasons been banned from the 1989 tragedy 'cover up' probe? [308], In 2009, nearly twenty years to the day after the disaster, Steven Cohen, a presenter on Fox Soccer Channel and Sirius satellite radio in the United States (an Englishman and Chelsea fan), stated on his radio show that Liverpool fans "without tickets" were the "root cause" and "perpetrators" of the disaster. Margaret Aspinall, chairperson of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, asked for a face to face meeting with Hunt before deciding if she would[needs update] accept the apology. [T]here was no effective leadership either from control or on the pitch to harness and organise rescue efforts. He added it would be like making jokes about the 2002 Bali bombings, in which eight fewer Australians were killed. [129], Subsequent apologies were released by Prime Minister David Cameron on behalf of the government,[9] Ed Miliband on behalf of the opposition,[130] Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, South Yorkshire Police, and former editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, who apologised for making false accusations under the headline "The Truth". A service led by the Right Reverend James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool, was attended by past and present Liverpool players, including Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Alan Hansen. They organised a sensible compensation scheme and moved on. [242][243], In other regional newspapers, the Manchester Evening News wrote that the "Anfield Army charged on to the terrace behind the goalmany without tickets", and the Yorkshire Post wrote that the "trampling crush" had been started by "thousands of fans" who were "latecomers forc[ing] their way into the ground". Hillsborough disaster | Details, Deaths, 1989, Facts, & Aftermath It was held that claimants who watched the disaster on television/listened on radio were not 'proximal' and their claims were rejected. The 96 people who died at the Hillsborough football stadium disaster in 1989 were unlawfully killed and a catalogue of failings by police and the ambulance services contributed to their deaths,. [37], The report dismissed the theory, put forward by South Yorkshire Police, that fans attempting to gain entry without tickets or with forged tickets were contributing factors. It became still less likely when those on the track made no move towards the pitch. Sheffield Wednesday's primary concern was to limit costs." The issue of congested access to the turnstiles remained unresolved, with over 24,000 fans entering through 23 turnstiles at Leppings. Several campaigns have attempted to get the government to relax the regulation and allow standing areas to return to Premiership and Championship grounds. It was performed by Lord Justice Stuart-Smith. A 20 minute video of the disaster in Windows Media Player format. [283], On 27 April 2016, Times staffers in the sports department expressed their outrage over the paper's decision to cover 26 April inquest, which ruled that the 96 dead were unlawfully killed, only on an inside spread and the sports pages, with some in the newspaper claiming there was a "mutiny" in the sports department. When he presented his report in February 1998, he concluded that there was insufficient evidence for a new inquiry into the disaster. [222][223] The Kop, Centenary and Main Stands were opened to the public before part of the Anfield Road End was opened to supporters. [118], In the years after the disaster, the Hillsborough Family Support Group had campaigned for the release of all relevant documents into the public domain. Mole. [46]:137,138 As this declaration was not immediately performed, confusion reigned over those attempting to administer aid on the pitch. We said it was the truth - it wasn't for that we're deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry". [4] Following the Taylor Report, the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled there was no evidence to justify prosecution of any individuals or institutions. Peter McKay in the Evening Standard wrote that the "catastrophe was caused first and foremost by violent enthusiasm for soccer and in this case the tribal passions of Liverpool supporters [who] literally killed themselves and others to be at the game"[242][243] and published a front-page headline "Police attack 'vile' fans" on 18 April 1989, in which police sources blamed the behaviour of a section of Liverpool fans for the disaster. The jury found they did not contribute to the danger unfolding at the turnstiles at the Leppings. As the Panel explained in their report:[46]:146. [18], A report by Eastwood & Partners for a safety certificate for the stadium in 1978 concluded that although it failed to meet the recommendations of the Green Guide, a guide to safety at sports grounds, the consequences were minor. [32] Although Mole could have been assigned the semi-final match's planning despite his transfer, that was not done. Popper said this was because the victims were either dead, or brain dead, by 3:15pm. After the disaster's 20th anniversary in April 2009, supported by the Culture secretary, Andy Burnham, and Minister of State for Justice, Maria Eagle, the government asked the Home Office and Department of Culture, Media and Sport to investigate the best way for this information to be made public. One supporter wrote to the Football Association and Minister for Sport: "The whole area was packed solid to the point where it was impossible to move and where I, and others around me, felt considerable concern for personal safety. Well, if you look at the Liverpool end, to the right of the goal, there's hardly anybody on those stepsthat's it. Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners? The intensity of the crush broke more crush barriers on the terraces. [103], Regarding the decision to allocate Liverpool spectators to the West and North Ends, Taylor stated "I do not consider choice of ends was causative of the disaster. [284] The Times later tweeted that "We made a mistake with the front page of our first edition, and we fixed it for our second edition. [4], Police disciplinary charges were abandoned when Duckenfield retired on health grounds and, because Murray was unavailable, it was decided not to proceed with disciplinary charges against him. [46]:149 Out of this number, two managed of their own accord to make their way onto the pitchwhile a third ambulance made its way onto the pitch at the direction of DCAO Hopkins, who felt its visibility might allay crowd concerns. Although the editor Boris Johnson did not write this piece,[293] journalist Simon Heffer said he had written the first draft of the article at Johnson's request. [26] This 1981 change and other later changes to the stadium invalidated the stadium's safety certificate. [193], It was announced in December 2017 that a police officer and a farrier would not be prosecuted over allegations that they fabricated a story about a police horse being burned with cigarettes at Hillsborough. The memorial service, led by the Bishop of Liverpool began at 14:45 BST and a two-minute silence (observed across Liverpool and in Sheffield and Nottingham, including public transport coming to a stand-still)[224][225] was held at the time of the disaster twenty years earlier, 15:06 BST. I had to scream at the police officer to allow us privacy . [216] Following on from (and out of respect for) the Hillsborough families' decision to conclude official memorials at Anfield with a final service in 2016,[217] it was decided not to hold any further memorials at Spion Kop. Hillsborough: what has happened in 30 years since disaster | The Week UK The Liverpool manager, Rafael Bentez, set 96 balloons free. I published in good faith and I am sorry that it was so wrong". Their claims were dismissed and the Alcock decision was upheld. A teenager who died in the Hillsborough disaster tried in vain to save her younger sister as the . . Duckenfield took medical retirement on a full police pension. [272], The coverage was widely condemned on social media, with Twitter users saying that this reflected "Murdoch's view on Hillsborough", which was a "smear", which "now daren't speak its name". The film was aired for the first time in 1996, and has been shown four times since then: in 1998, in 2009, in September 2012 (shortly after the release of the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel), and again on 1May 2016 on ITV. Thousands of fans visited and the stadium filled with flowers, scarves and other tributes. [46]:149, The adverse comments of two doctors regarding the emergency response appeared in the media. Sue MacGregor brought together a group of people who were involved in the disaster to talk about the events of that day at a time when they were still in the midst of their fight for justice. Chief Superintendent Mole himself was to be transferred to the Barnsley division for "career development reasons". Look down there. 'stelling them to ban FHM. As a result of the stadium layout and segregation policy, turnstiles that would normally have been used to enter the North Stand from the east were off-limits and all Liverpool supporters had to converge on a single entrance at Leppings Lane. At least 96 current and former Liverpool footballers are being[needs update] lined up to raise 96,000 by auctioning a limited edition (of 96) signed photographs. [29] Other accounts told of fans having to be pulled to safety from above. He said that he 'could not fathom why he didn't call us, other than he specifically did not want to hear our evidence, in which case the first inquests were coloured and flawed before they even started'. [199] It was announced on 25June that Duckenfield would face a retrial, which was scheduled to start on 7October at Preston Crown Court. I have considered the circumstances in which alterations were made to some of the self-written statements of South Yorkshire Police officers, but I do not consider that there is any occasion for any further investigation. It said criticism of Rooney was wrong and co-ordinated by the Liverpool Echo and Liverpool Post. When was the Hillsborough Disaster and how many people died? [162] Groome also claimed that match commander Duckenfield was a member of the "highly influential" Dole lodge in Sheffield (the same lodge as Brian Mole, his predecessor). "[220] A gospel choir performed and the ceremony ended with a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone". This followed a legal challenge in the High Court by his family to have his treatment withdrawn, a landmark challenge which succeeded in November 1992. There are soapy politicians to make a pet of Liverpool, and Liverpool itself is always standing by to make a pet of itself. Andrew Devine, 55, died on Tuesday, his family said in a statement released by Liverpool FC. [298], On 28 June 2010, following England's departure from the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition in South Africa, the UK's Culture and Sport Secretary Jeremy Hunt praised the England fans for their behaviour during the competition, saying "I mean, not a single arrest for a football-related offence, and the terrible problems that we had in Heysel and Hillsborough in the 1980s seem now to be behind us." [106] Purpose-built stadiums for Premier League and most Football League teams since the report are all-seater. THE HILLSBOROUGH STADIUM DISASTER 15 APRIL 1989 INQUIRY BY THE RT HON LORD JUSTICE TAYLOR INTERIM REPORT Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Home Department by Command of Her Majesty August 1989 LONDON HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE CONTENTS This work is licensed under the United Kingdom Open Government Licence v1.0 . A headstone at the junction of Middlewood Road, Leppings Lane and Wadsley Lane, near the ground and by the. During the episode car mechanic Minty said: "Five years out of Europe because of Heysel, because they penned you lot in to stop you fighting on the pitch and then what did we end up with? Hillsborough: why has the trial collapsed and what happens next? [263] Chris Horrie estimated in 2014 that the tabloid's owners had lost 15million per month since the disaster, in 1989 prices. [52] In the following days more than 200,000 people visited the "shrine" inside the stadium. FA Cup semi-final Liverpool v Nottingham Forest. [4] The disaster led to a number of safety improvements in the largest English football grounds, notably the elimination of fenced standing terraces in favour of all-seater stadiums in the top two tiers of English football. "[114] However, the determination by Stuart-Smith was heavily criticised by the Justice Minister, Lord Falconer, who stated "I am absolutely sure that Sir Murray Stuart-Smith came completely to the wrong conclusion". Trevor Hicks, whose two daughters had been killed, described the verdicts as 'lawful' but 'immoral'.[83]. [26][27] The terrace was divided into five pens when the club was promoted to the First Division in 1984, and a crush barrier near the access tunnel was removed in 1986 to improve the flow of fans entering and exiting the central enclosure. It was April 26, 2016. [65] Despite having stronger ties to Liverpool F.C., Gerry and the Pacemakers' earlier hit "You'll Never Walk Alone" was not used because it had recently been re-recorded for the Bradford City stadium fire appeal. [94], Lord Taylor concluded that the behaviour of Liverpool fans, including accusations of drunkenness, were secondary factors, and said that most fans were: "not drunk, nor even the worse for drink". This was unlikely at the beginning of a match. Club Secretary Graham Mackrell faced a charge of breaching the Safety at Sports Ground Act 1975. [64], In May 1989, a charity version of the Gerry and the Pacemakers song "Ferry Cross the Mersey" was released in aid of those affected. Of those statements, 116 were amended to remove or change negative comments about South Yorkshire Police. [91], After the disaster, Lord Justice Taylor was appointed to conduct an inquiry into the events. ", "South Yorkshire police to ask IPCC to investigate Hillsborough officers' conduct", "Justice for Hillsborough Victims and Families: What Happens Next? [39] The police at first attempted to stop fans from spilling out of the pens, some believing this to be a pitch invasion. [149][150] Upon receiving the April 2016 verdict, Hillsborough Family Support Group chair Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James was killed in the disaster, said:[151][152][153]. Hundreds of people were pressed against one another and the fencing by the weight of the crowd behind them. Merseyside Police Authority confirmed that Bettison would receive an 83,000 pension, unless convicted of a criminal offence. Liverpool is a handsome city with a tribal sense of community. The Leppings Lane end of the ground did not hold a valid safety certificate at the time of the disaster; it had not been updated since 1979. [261][262] The Financial Times reported in 2019 that Merseyside sales were estimated to drop from 55,000 per day to 12,000 per day, an 80% decrease. [7] Families disputed the findings,[4] and fought to have the case re-opened. [51], Condolences flooded in from across the world, led by the Queen. The crowd numbered more than 60,000, including around 6,000 Liverpool fans, and all the match proceeds went to the Hillsborough appeal fund. [250][251] The Daily Express also carried Patnick's version, under the headline "Police Accuse Drunken Fans" which gave Patnick's views, saying he had told Margaret Thatcher, while escorting her on a tour of the ground after the disaster, of the "mayhem caused by drunks" and that policemen told him they were "hampered, harassed, punched and kicked". [301] Leeds United chairman Ken Bates endorsed this call in the club programme and stated, "Leeds have suffered at times with reference to Galatasaray; some of our so-called fans have also been guilty as well, particularly in relation to Munich." It was brought by police officers on duty against the chief constable who was said to have been vicariously liable for the disaster. The error staring them in the face was too glaring. [284], The November 2002 edition of the men's lifestyle magazine FHM in Australia was swiftly withdrawn from sale soon after its publication, and a public apology made in the Australian and British editions, because it contained jokes mocking the disaster.