It was April 26, 2016. We said it was the truth - it wasn't for that we're deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry". [66][67], By the disaster's 10th anniversary in 1999, at least three people who survived were known to have taken their own lives. [233] Halfway through the minute's silence, the A.C. Milan fans sang Liverpool's "You'll Never Walk Alone" as a sign of respect. 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. The panel concluded that "up to 41" of the 96 who had died up to that date, might have survived had the emergency services' reactions and co-ordination been better. Although there was enough evidence to charge the farrier with perverting the course of justice, it was felt not to be in the public interest to charge him. [258][265] In 2012, under the headline "The Real Truth", The Sun made a front page apology, saying "we are profoundly sorry for false reports". The 10th and 20th anniversaries were marked by special services to remember the victims.[214][215]. [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]. Merseyside Police Authority confirmed that Bettison would receive an 83,000 pension, unless convicted of a criminal offence. The death of two witnesses and contradictions in the evidence of others were cited as part of the reason for the decision. In July 2021, a coroner ruled that Andrew Devine, who died 32 years after suffering severe and irreversible brain damage on the day, was the 97th victim. They did not seek endless further inquiries. Nor do I consider that there is any justification for setting up any further inquiry into the performance of the emergency and hospital services. [311][312], In 1996, Sir Bernard Ingham, former press secretary to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, caused controversy with his comments about the disaster. It was selected by the Football Association (FA) as a neutral venue to host the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest football clubs. The clock at the Kop End stood still at 3:06pm, the time that the referee had blown his whistle in 1989 and a minute's silence was held, the start signalled by match referee from that day, Ray Lewis. The less seriously injured survivors who did not live in the Sheffield area were advised to seek treatment for their injuries at hospitals nearer to their homes. On Wednesday 19 April 1989, four days after the disaster, the second leg of the European Cup semi-final tie between A.C. Milan and Real Madrid was played. The tragedy was largely attributed to mistakes made by the police. After the verdicts Barry Devonside, who had lost his son, witnessed Popper hosting a celebration party with police officers. [203], In response to the acquittals, Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg called the lack of accountability over Hillsborough "the greatest scandal of British policing of our lifetimes". [289] As a result, Emap Australia, who owned FHM at the time, pledged to make a donation to the families of the victims. Several British stadiums have a stand called "Spion Kop" or "The Kop". [53] Anfield stadium was opened on the Sunday to allow fans to pay tribute to the dead. The extreme reaction to Mr Bigley's murder is fed by the fact that he was a Liverpudlian. [98], There was no means for calculating when individual enclosures had reached capacity. [46]:149[47][48][49][50] The remaining 39 ambulances were collectively able to transport approximately 149 people to either Northern General Hospital, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, or Barnsley Hospital for treatment. [13] Public anger over the actions of their force during the second inquests led to the suspension of the SYP chief constable, David Crompton, following the verdict. [97] The failure by the police to give the order to direct fans to empty areas of the stadium, was described by Taylor as "a blunder of the first magnitude". [268], On 12 September 2012, after the publication of the report exonerating the Liverpool fans, MacKenzie issued the following statement:[269]. [159], Kelvin MacKenzie, who wrote the now-infamous "The Truth" front page for the Sun, said that although he was "duped" into publishing his story, that his "heart goes out" to the families of those affected, saying that "It's quite clear today the fans had nothing to do with it". He later apologised and said "I know that fan unrest played no part in the terrible events of April 1989 and I apologise to Liverpool fans and the families of those killed and injured in the Hillsborough disaster if my comments caused any offence." It has since fuelled persistent and unsustainable assertions about drunken fan behaviour". Fans were still streaming into pens 3 and 4 from the rear entrance tunnel as the match began. [160][161], During the inquests, Maxwell Groomea police constable at the time of the disastermade allegations of a high-level "conspiracy" by Freemasons to shift blame for the disaster onto Superintendent Roger Marshall, also that junior officers were pressured into changing their statements after the disaster, and told not to write their accounts in their official police pocketbooks. [36] Many supporters wished to enjoy the day and were in no hurry to enter the stadium too early. Tuesday 26 April 2016, 6:25pm Details of how and when the 96 Hillsborough disaster victims died: John Alfred Anderson, 62 - Cause of death: traumatic rupture of the abdominal aorta. [107] Chester City F.C. That's why I am so grateful to my city and so proud of my city. Announcing the report to the House of Commons, Home Secretary Jack Straw backed Stuart-Smith's findings and said that "I do not believe that a further inquiry could or would uncover significant new evidence or provide any relief for the distress of those who have been bereaved. Other members were:[121]. [14] In June 2017, six people were charged with offences including manslaughter by gross negligence, misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice for their actions during and after the disaster. Stephen Whittle is considered by some to be another victim of Hillsborough, as due to work commitments, he had sold his ticket to a friend (whom he and his family chose not to identify), who then died in the disaster; the resulting feeling of survivor guilt is believed to be the main reason he took his own life in February 2011.[79]. [108] In England and Wales all-seating is a requirement of the Premier League[109] and of the Football League for clubs who have been present in the Championship for more than three seasons. [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. 's The Den being the first new stadium to be built that fulfilled the recommendations. Fans' behaviour, to the extent that it was relevant at all, made the job of the police, in the crush outside Leppings Lane turnstiles, harder than it needed to be. . [26] This 1981 change and other later changes to the stadium invalidated the stadium's safety certificate. [15], Hillsborough Stadium had been constructed in 1899 to house Sheffield Wednesday. By the time the appeal closed in 1990, it had raised more than 12million. Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool's manager at the time of the disaster, read a passage from the Bible, "Lamentations of Jeremiah". Ninety-six people died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster There were not enough turnstiles for fans entering the terraces on the day of the Hillsborough disaster, a stadium safety expert. [244], In Liverpool local journalist John Williams of the Liverpool Daily Post wrote in an article titled "I Blame the Yobs"[245] that "The gatecrashers wreaked their fatal havoc Their uncontrolled fanaticism and mass hysteria literally squeezed the life out of men, women and children yobbism at its most base Scouse killed Scouse for no better reason than 22 men were kicking a ball". [46]:138140 Others who did leave their vehicles were then faced with the obstacles inherent in placing distance between themselves and their equipment. [54] The following Sunday, a link of football scarves spanning the 1 mile (1.6km) distance across Stanley Park from Goodison Park to Anfield was created, with the final scarf in position at 3:06pm. After a 27-year campaign by victims' families, the behaviour of Liverpool fans was exonerated. 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. 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. Today I offer my profuse apologies to the people of Liverpool for that headline. Nobody really had any comment on itthey just took one look and went away shaking their heads in wonder at the enormity of it. Supporters laid down flowers and blue and white scarves to show respect for the dead and unity with fellow Merseysiders. [112] The terms of reference of his inquiry were limited to "new evidence", that is "evidence which was not available or was not presented to the previous inquiries, courts or authorities. "[289] The British edition disassociated itself from the controversy, stating: "FHM Australia has its own editorial team and these captions were written and published without consultation with the UK edition, or any other edition of FHM. [42] People entering were unaware of the problems at the fence; police or stewards usually stood at the entrance to the tunnel and, when the central pens reached capacity, directed fans to the side pens, but on this occasion, for reasons not fully explained, they did not. Ruling on Submissions of No Case to Answer", "Lack of Hillsborough accountability is a scandal, says minister", "Hillsborough families attack 'ludicrous' acquittals of police", "Hillsborough families to sue police for 'abuse on industrial scale', "Hillsborough: Police forces agree cover-up compensation for victims", "Hillsborough memorial returns to Anfield", "Anfield memorial updated in honour of 97th victim of Hillsborough", "Hillsborough memorial clock unveiled at Liverpool Town Hall", "Everton FC to unveil tribute to Hillsborough 96 ahead of Merseyside derby", "Uefa to help Liverpool avoid Hillsborough clash", "Anfield's Hillsborough memorial service to be held for last time in April", "Football to remember Hillsborough disaster", "A minute's silence to remember Hillsborough", "Liverpool avoid Hillsborough anniversary clash", "Thousands flock to Anfield as Liverpool marks 20th anniversary of Hillsborough", "Hundreds mark Hillsborough anniversary in city", "Giggs showed that even in a cash-conscious age the game has moments which defy evaluation", "Milan vs Real Madrid Fans Sing You'll Never Walk Alone", "MP's tearful tribute to Hillsborough 96", "Hillsborough debate full transcript: Read everything MPs said in the House of Commons link to full video now added", "Hillsborough: 97th victim's family 'proud' of Freedom of Liverpool award", "Chapter 12: Behind the headlines: the origins, promotion and reproduction of unsubstantiated allegations (Page 3 of 10): 'The Truth', "The Immediate Aftermath The Media Reaction Hillsborough Football Disaster", "Is it time to forgive and forget Kelvin Mackenzie and the Sun over the lies they told about Hillsborough? 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. South Yorkshire coroner Dr Stefan Popper limited the main inquests to events up to 3:15pm on the day of the disasternine minutes after the match was halted and the crowd spilt onto the pitch. The inquests hearings started on Monday 31 March 2014 at Warrington. There is no basis for a renewed application to the Divisional Court or for the Attorney General to exercise his powers under the Coroners Act 1988. Just one person has been convicted for anything related to the Hillsborough disaster: Graham Mackrell, the then Sheffield Wednesday secretary, of a safety offence, for which he was fined. Williams was portrayed by Maxine Peake, whose performance was described in The Guardian as "almost unwatchably intense".[327]. [29] Leeds were assigned the Leppings Lane end. It's fine to apologise afterwards. 14 in the UK charts.[229]. 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. [154], Prime Minister David Cameron also responded to the April 2016 verdict by saying that it represented a "long overdue" but "landmark moment in the quest for justice", adding "All families and survivors now have official confirmation of what they always knew was the case, that the Liverpool fans were utterly blameless in the disaster that unfolded at Hillsborough. A lengthier apology was published online. It was held that claimants who watched the disaster on television/listened on radio were not 'proximal' and their claims were rejected. [322], The American sports network ESPN produced the documentary Hillsborough as part of its 30 for 30 series of sports films (under a new "Soccer Stories" subdivision). The deaths of more than 50 Liverpool football supporters at Hillsborough in 1989 was undeniably a greater tragedy than the single death, however horrible, of Mr Bigley; but that is no excuse for Liverpool's failure to acknowledge, even to this day, the part played in the disaster by drunken fans at the back of the crowd who mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground that Saturday afternoon. [132] They also called for prosecutions for unlawful killing, corporate manslaughter and perversion of the course of justice in respect of the actions of the police both in causing the disaster and covering up their actions; and in respect of Sheffield Wednesday FC, Sheffield Council and the Football Association for their various responsibilities for providing, certifying and selecting the stadium for the fatal event. A terrible crowd crush claimed the lives of 96 innocen. [16], At the time of the disaster most English football stadiums had high steel fencing between the spectators and the playing field in response to pitch invasions. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. [19] Sheffield Wednesday were later criticised for neglecting safety in the stadium, especially after an incident in the semi-final of the 1981 FA Cup. Up to 10,000 Liverpool supporters have tickets to the standing terraces on their side of the pitch.. [128], The evidence it released online included altered police reports. 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,. In response, Trevor Hicks, chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, rejected MacKenzie's apology as "too little, too late", calling him "lowlife, clever lowlife, but lowlife". [323][324], As the documentary included previously unreleased security camera footage from the stadium on the day of the disaster, it could not be shown in the UK upon initial release due to the 2012 High Court inquest still being in progress. [94], Lord Taylor noted with regard to the performance of the senior police officers in command that "neither their handling of the problems on the day nor their account of it in evidence showed the qualities of leadership to be expected of their rank". [145] Maria Eagle confirmed her understanding that WMP actions in this respect would be the subject of IPCC scrutiny. "[255], In their history of The Sun, Peter Chippendale and Chris Horrie wrote:[256]. [246] These media reports and others were examined during the 2012 Hillsborough Independent Panel report. followed in April 2017 on the eve of the 28th anniversary of the disaster after a column by Kelvin MacKenzie concerning Everton footballer Ross Barkley. [317], On 20 May 1989, five weeks after the disaster, Channel 4's After Dark programme broadcast an extended live discussion called "Football The Final Whistle?". Why are we treated like animals?' [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. Possibly connected to the excitement, a surge in pen 3 caused one of its metal crush barriers to give way. 'You'll never walk alone.'". Sadly I must report that for the most part the quality of their evidence was in inverse proportion to their rank". This is our response", "Hillsborough inquest verdict: the front pages", "As disgusting as it is unsurprising. There is a permanent memorial to the 96 fans who died, in the form of a bench in view of the battlefield at a nearby lodge. I had to scream at the police officer to allow us privacy . Peter Caton 2012. [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. [314][315] On the day of the inquest verdict, Ingham refused to apologise or respond to the previous comments he made, telling a reporter, "I have nothing to say. [37] At 2:46pm, the BBC's football commentator John Motson had already noticed the uneven distribution of people in the Leppings Lane pens. A memorial stone in the pavement on the south side of Liverpool's Anglican cathedral. A further 20 were from counties adjacent to Merseyside. Finally, seven turnstiles (lettered A to G) provided access to 10,100 standing places in the lower tier of the West Stand. A case, Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [1992] 1 A.C. 310, was eventually appealed to the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords and was an important milestone in the law of claims of secondary victims for negligently inflicted psychiatric injury. When he presented his report in February 1998, he concluded that there was insufficient evidence for a new inquiry into the disaster. [219] A candle was lit for each of the 96 victims. Twenty-three years ago I was handed a piece of copy from a reputable news agency in Sheffield, in which a senior police officer and a senior local MP were making serious allegations against fans in the stadium. Jury finds 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in the Hillsborough disaster; . Wednesday 6 April 2016, 4:11pm. The referee blew his whistle two minutes into the game to stop play and a minute's silence was held for those who lost their lives at Hillsborough. Popper's decision regarding the cut-off time was subsequently endorsed by the Divisional Court who considered it to have been justified in the light of the medical evidence available to him. Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners? The name, originally that of a hill in South Africa, usually refers to an unusually steep stand. [123] The number is based on post-mortem examinations which found some victims may have had heart, lung or blood circulation function for some time after being removed from the crush. A former South Yorkshire police inspector who was on duty at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough when 96 people were crushed to death has said he believed before the match that the. It was a 'classic smear'. How the Hillsborough disaster unfolded. In April 2016, a private prosecution was launched on behalf of victims' relatives against both SYP and the West Midlands Police force (who had investigated the actions of SYP), alleging a concerted cover-up designed to shift blame away from the police. In all but one case, the jury recorded the time of death as later than the 3:15pm cut-off point adopted by the coroner at the original inquests. fans had died (a 96th fan died in 1993, and 97th in 2021).An interim report was published in August 1989 . [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. [165] During the inquests, Duckenfield confirmed that he became a Freemason in 1975 and became Worshipful Master of his local lodge in 1990, a year after the disaster; following this revelation, Freemasons were forbidden to take part in the IPCC investigation and Operation Resolve as civilian investigators to prevent any perceived bias. "[115], The Hillsborough Independent Panel was instituted in 2009 by the British government to investigate the Hillsborough disaster, to oversee the disclosure of documents about the disaster and its aftermath and to produce a report. [272] On the night of the verdict coverage, more than 124,000 tweets used the term The Sun. A third legal case which resulted from the Hillsborough disaster was Airedale N.H.S. . Boycotts include both customers refusing to purchase it, and retailers refusing to stock it. [53] Standing on terraces and the use of perimeter fencing around the pitch, the use of CCTV, the timing of football matches and policing of sporting events were factors for a subsequent inquiry to consider. I was not sorry then and I'm not sorry now". [197], On 13 March 2019, it was reported that Duckenfield would not be called to give evidence in his defence. No, his apology doesn't mean a thing to me. [111], In May 1997, when the Labour Party came into office, Home Secretary Jack Straw ordered an investigation. [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. [43], The crowd in the Leppings Lane Stand spilt onto the pitch, where the many injured and traumatised fans who had climbed to safety congregated. The Liverpool manager, Rafael Bentez, set 96 balloons free. Copy link. A seven-foot-high circular bronze memorial was unveiled in the Old Haymarket district of Liverpool in April 2013. [134][135][136][137] Calls were also made for Sir Dave Richards to resign as chairman of the Premier League and give up his knighthood as a result of his conduct at Sheffield Wednesday at the time of the disaster. In the following days and weeks, South Yorkshire Police (SYP) fed the press false stories suggesting that football hooliganism and drunkenness by Liverpool supporters had caused the disaster. They just don't want their names in any more sleaze. [180], The IPCC is[needs update] also investigating the actions of West Midlands Police, who in 1989 had been tasked with investigating South Yorkshire Police's conduct for both the original inquests and also the Taylor independent inquiry. Jones stated that minutes after the disaster, Duckenfield "deceitfully and dishonestly" told senior FA officials that the supporters had forced the gate open. [4] Private prosecutions brought by the Hillsborough Families Support Group against Duckenfield and his deputy Bernard Murray failed in 2000. [294] Johnson apologised at the time of the article, travelling to Liverpool to do so,[295] and again following the publication of the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012; Johnson's apology was rejected by Margaret Aspinall, chairperson of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, whose son James, 18, died in the disaster:[296]. "[285], The Times was the only major UK newspaper not to give the story front-page coverage other than fellow News UK-owned Sun. [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. calling for his resignation, but he apologised on discovering hooliganism was not the cause. Hillsborough: anatomy of a disaster Guardian The evidence built into a startling indictment of South Yorkshire police, their chain of command and conduct - a relentlessly detailed evisceration. Bettison had been one of a number of police officers who were accused of manipulating evidence by the Hillsborough Independent Panel. [62] Other fundraising activities included a Factory Records benefit concert and several fundraising football matches. [131] MacKenzie said he should have written a headline that read "The Lies", although this apology was rejected by the Hillsborough Family Support Group and Liverpool fans, as it was seen to be "shifting the blame once again. Hillsborough disaster, incident in which a crush of football (soccer) fans ultimately resulted in 97 deaths and hundreds of injuries. [124] Their report was in 395 pages and delivered 153 key findings. The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. 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]. [163] Coroner Sir John Goldring warned the jury that there was "not a shred of evidence" that any Masonic meeting actually took place, or that those named were all Freemasons,[164] advising the jury to cast aside "gossip and hearsay". With 97 deaths and 766 injuries, it has the highest death toll in British sporting history. [183], Commissioned by the Home Secretary Theresa May, a report was published on 1 November 2017 by the Right Reverend James Jones titled The patronising disposition of unaccountable power: A report to ensure that the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families is not repeated. 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.
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