Various negligence cases were brought against the police by spectators who had been at the ground but had not been in the pens, and by people who watched the incident unfolding on television (or heard about it on the radio). Human crush during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. 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. [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". [247], The information was provided to the newspaper by Whites News Agency in Sheffield;[248] the newspaper cited claims by police inspector Gordon Sykes, that Liverpool fans had pickpocketed the dead,[249] as well as other claims by unnamed police officers and local Conservative MP Irvine Patnick. Liverpool players Ronnie Whelan, Steve Nicol, and former manager Joe Fagan carried the communion bread and wine. [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". Resumed on 19 November 1990,[81] they proved to be controversial. ", "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? Hillsborough families called for the payments to be frozen during the IPCC investigation. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently dropped all charges against one of the defendants. The findings concluded that 164 witness statements had been altered. Time of. [59], During the final match of the 198889 English Football League season, contested on 26 May 1989 between Liverpool and second-place Arsenal, the Arsenal players presented flowers to fans in different parts of Anfield in memory of those who had died in the Hillsborough disaster. Documents disclosed confirm that repeated attempts were made to find supporting evidence for alcohol being a factor, and that available evidence was significantly misinterpreted. Kick-off was scheduled for 3:00pm on 15 April, and fans were advised to take up positions 15 minutes beforehand. On 11 April 2009, Liverpool fans sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" as a tribute to the upcoming anniversary of the disaster before the home game against Blackburn Rovers (which ended in Liverpool winning 40) and was followed by former Liverpool player, Stephen Warnock presenting a memorial wreath to the Kop showing the figure 96 in red flowers. This was unlikely at the beginning of a match. A 20 minute video of the disaster in Windows Media Player format. 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. [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". [222][223] The Kop, Centenary and Main Stands were opened to the public before part of the Anfield Road End was opened to supporters. A police constable radioed control requesting that the game be delayed, as it had been two years before, to ensure the safe passage of supporters into the ground. [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. fans had died (a 96th fan died in 1993, and 97th in 2021).An interim report was published in August 1989 . They buried their dead, comforted the bereaved and succoured the injured. 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. [24][25] The incident nonetheless prompted Sheffield Wednesday to alter the layout at the Leppings Lane end, dividing the terrace into three separate pens to restrict sideways movement. [41], When the gates were opened, thousands of fans entered a narrow tunnel leading from the rear of the terrace into two overcrowded central pens (pens 3 and 4), creating pressure at the front. [7] Families disputed the findings,[4] and fought to have the case re-opened. Transcripts of the proceedings and evidence that was produced during the hearings were published at the Hillsborough Inquests official website. The programme was repeated on 1May 2016, at the end of the week in which the Hillsborough inquest ruled that the 96 Liverpool football fans died unlawfully. [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". The 10th and 20th anniversaries were marked by special services to remember the victims.[214][215]. The lingering effects of the disaster were seen as a cause, or contributory factor, in all of these.[68]. . [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. [78] The oldest person to die at Hillsborough was 67-year-old Gerard Baron, an older brother of former Liverpool player Kevin Baron. For some time, problems at the front of the Liverpool central goal pens went largely unnoticed except by those inside them and a few police at that end of the pitch. Of those statements, 116 were amended to remove or change negative comments about South Yorkshire Police. [243], On 19 April, four days after the disaster, Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun, ordered "The Truth" as the front-page headline, followed by three sub-headlines: "Some fans picked pockets of victims", "Some fans urinated on the brave cops" and "Some fans beat up PC giving kiss of life". Directed by Daniel Gordon and co-produced with the BBC, the two-hour film chronicles the disaster, the investigations, and their lingering effects; it also includes interviews with survivors, victims' relatives, police officers and investigators. [138] The Home Secretary called for investigations into law-breaking and promised resources to investigate individual or systematic issues. "[114] This was controversial as the subsequent response of the police and emergency services would not be scrutinised. . Duckenfield admitted that he had lied in certain statements regarding the causes of the disaster. [43] Football players from both teams were ushered to their respective dressing rooms, and told that there would be a 30-minute postponement. Why are we treated like animals?' 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. In paragraph 5 of his summary, Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said:[113]. Holes in the perimeter fencing were made by fans desperately attempting to rescue others. [221], The event was remembered with a ceremony at Anfield attended by over 28,000 people. [88] The views of both were dismissed by the Taylor report. The disaster has been acknowledged on 15April every year by the community in Liverpool and football in general. Look down there. [31] The first planning meeting for the semi-final took place on 22 March and was attended by newly promoted Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, not by Mole. Topman stated that the T-shirt was in reference to a Bob Marley song re-released in 1996 and apologised and withdrew the item. Wright said: "The request has been submitted by a firm of solicitors in Liverpool acting on behalf of a number of individuals affected by the event. Turnstiles numbered 1 to 10, ten in all, provided access to 9,700 seats in the North Stand; a further six turnstiles (numbered 11 to 16) provided access to 4,456 seats in the upper tier of the West Stand. The remaining 14 victims lived in other parts of England. The prosecution ended on 24July 2000, when Murray was acquitted and the jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case of Duckenfield. [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. [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. The Liverpool manager, Rafael Bentez, set 96 balloons free. [272] On the night of the verdict coverage, more than 124,000 tweets used the term The Sun. They organised a sensible compensation scheme and moved on. In 1997 Lord Justice Stuart-Smith concluded that there was no justification for a new inquiry. [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. On Question Time the next year, MacKenzie publicly repeated the claims he said at the dinner; he said that he believed some of the material they published in The Sun but was not sure about all of it. [35], Three chartered trains transported Liverpool supporters to Sheffield for a match in 1988, but only one such train ran in 1989. 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. 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. A police officer ordinarily made a visual assessment before guiding fans to other pens. 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. 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. [115] Falconer added: "It made the families in the Hillsborough disaster feel after one establishment cover-up, here was another. Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool's manager at the time of the disaster, read a passage from the Bible, "Lamentations of Jeremiah". Speaking after the disaster, Kelly backed all-seater stadiums, saying "We must move fans away from the ritual of standing on terraces". Liverpool supporters were allocated the North and West ends (Leppings Lane), holding 24,256 fans, reached by 23 turnstiles from a narrow concourse. Liverpool lodged a complaint before the match in 1989. [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. [307], In June 2014, an unnamed 24-year-old British civil servant was sacked for posting offensive comments about the disaster on Wikipedia. The disaster took place on April 15, 1989 - so today marks 33 years since the incident. [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. The editor at the time, Dominic Mohan, wrote: "We published an inaccurate and offensive story about the events at Hillsborough. The report stated that placing fans who were "merely unconscious" on their backs rather than in the recovery position, would have resulted in their deaths due to airway obstruction. 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. [125] The report concluded that the then Conservative MP for Sheffield Hallam, Irvine Patnick, passed inaccurate and untrue information from the police to the press. "[285], The Times was the only major UK newspaper not to give the story front-page coverage other than fellow News UK-owned Sun. People presenting tickets at the wrong turnstiles and those who had been refused entry could not leave because of the crowd behind them and remained as an obstruction. No, his apology doesn't mean a thing to me. Hillsborough hosted five FA Cup semi-finals in the 1980s. "Munich" is a reference to the deaths of eight Manchester United players in the Munich air disaster of 1958. I think there will be a real boycott." I was not sorry then and I'm not sorry now". Lewis stopped the match at 3:05:30[44] as fans climbed the fence in an effort to escape the crush and went onto the track. They did not seek endless further inquiries. 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. [12], The second coroner's inquests were held from 1 April 2014 to 26 April 2016. The prosecution argued that the crush was "foreseeable" hence the defendants were "grossly negligent". [52] Within days, donations had passed 1million,[54] swelled by donations from individuals, schools and businesses. Boycotts include both customers refusing to purchase it, and retailers refusing to stock it. Match commander Duckenfield decided to open a gate into the stadium to alleviate pressure at the turnstiles . [320], In 1994 Roger Cook led an investigation into the Hillsborough disaster in a series 9 edition of The Cook Report entitled "Kevin's Mum". "[303], Popplewell was criticised for the comments, including a rebuke from a survivor of the Bradford fire. 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. [234][235] In April 1989, Bradford City and Lincoln City held a friendly match to benefit the victims of Hillsborough. [140], Following an application on 19 December 2012 by the Attorney General Dominic Grieve, the High Court quashed the verdicts in the original inquests and ordered fresh inquests to be held. FA Cup semi-final Liverpool v Nottingham Forest. [282][pageneeded] A number of complaints were made to the Press Council concerning the article, but the Council ruled that it was unable to adjudicate on comment pieces, though the Council noted that tragedy or disaster is not an occasion for writers to exercise gratuitous provocation. [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]. [170] In early October, Bettison announced his retirement, becoming the first senior figure to step down since publication of the panel's report.[171][172][173]. The ceremony was held on the Spion Kop Battlefield which gave its name to the Kop Stand at Anfield. The request to delay the start of the match by 20 minutes was declined. But it didn't cause the disaster any more than the sunny day that encouraged people to linger outside the stadium as kick off approached. Andrew Devine, 55, died on Tuesday, his family said in a statement released by Liverpool FC. A Liverpool fan who suffered life-changing injuries in the Hillsborough disaster has died. [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. [290], The Spectator was criticised for an editorial which appeared in the magazine on 16 October 2004 following the death of British hostage Kenneth John "Ken" Bigley in Iraq, in which it was claimed that the response to Bigley's killing was fuelled by the fact he was from Liverpool, and went on to criticise the "drunken" fans at Hillsborough and call on them to accept responsibility for their "role" in the disaster:[292]. "[290], The vice-chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Philip Hammond, said he wanted all football fans to boycott the magazine, saying, "I am going to write to every fanzine in the countryincluding Liverpool F.C. In October 1988 a probationary PC in Mole's F division, South Yorkshire was handcuffed, photographed, and stripped by fellow officers in a fake robbery, as a hazing prank. This article was presumably published before there were any reports that people had been killed. [23] Police believed there would have been a real chance of fatalities had swift action not been taken, and recommended the club reduce its capacity. They both gave evidence at the 2016 Warrington inquests. The only people that weren't against us was our own city. [200] On 28November 2019, Duckenfield was found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter. Now they are customers to be wooed and cosseted", "Deaths and Injuries at Major Accidents at British Football Stadiums", "Hillsborough families call for Sheffield Wednesday manslaughter inquiry", "How Bradford fire neglect left Hillsborough doomed to disaster", "Safety failings that contributed to death of 96 Liverpool fans were foreseeable", "Sheffield licensing officer from time of Hillsborough disaster still works for council", "Sky Blues fans recall Hillsborough choas", "Hillsborough warning signs were there in 1987", "David Bernstein makes unreserved apology for Hillsborough disaster", "Witness statement of Chief Superintendent Brian Mole, South Yorkshire Police", "Hillsborough inquest hears of police commander's transfer before match", "Hillsborough police officer in command 'had little training' for 1989 FA Cup", "4 Death on the Terraces: The Contexts and Injustices of the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster", "BBC Panorama 2013: Hillsborough Disaster. [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. 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. [94] Further stating: "South Yorkshire Police were not prepared to concede they were in any respect at fault in what occurred. Two further gates (A and B) were subsequently opened to relieve pressure. The intensity of the crush broke more crush barriers on the terraces. The Liverpool Legends, comprising ex-Liverpool footballers beat the All Stars, captained by actor Ricky Tomlinson, 31. [252], The story accompanying The Sun headlines claimed "drunken Liverpool fans viciously attacked rescue workers as they tried to revive victims" and "police officers, firemen and ambulance crew were punched, kicked and urinated upon". 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. [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. [39][40], With an estimated 5,000 fans trying to enter through the turnstiles, and increasing safety concerns, the police, to avoid fatalities outside the ground, opened a large exit gate (Gate C) that ordinarily permitted the free flow of supporters departing the stadium. Perimeter and lateral fencing was removed and many top stadiums were converted to all-seated. People are very upset by it. [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.

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