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. There was insufficient evidence against the police officer to charge him with the offence. [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. Speaking after the disaster, Kelly backed all-seater stadiums, saying "We must move fans away from the ritual of standing on terraces". Part of this flawed psychological state is that they cannot accept that they might have made any contribution to their misfortunes, but seek rather to blame someone else for it, thereby deepening their sense of shared tribal grievance against the rest of society. 14 in the UK charts.[229]. [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?". Rather than establishing crowd safety as their top priority, the clubs, local authorities and police viewed their roles and responsibilities through the 'lens of hooliganism'. Taylor concluded that policing on the day "broke down" and "the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control". It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1 on 20May, and remained at the top of the chart for three weeks. 's captain. The inquests hearings started on Monday 31 March 2014 at Warrington. [1] This resulted in overcrowding of those pens and the crush. [240], Initial media coveragespurred by what Phil Scraton calls in Hillsborough: The Truth "the Heysel factor" and "hooligan hysteria"began to shift the blame onto the behaviour of the Liverpool fans at the stadium, making it a public order issue. [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". [144] In the same 22 October House of Commons debate, Stephen Mosley MP alleged West Midlands police pressured witnessesboth police and civiliansto change their statements. [195], At a trial preparation hearing at Preston Crown Court on 10September 2018, Duckenfield pleaded not guilty to all 95 charges against him. "[112] Therefore, evidence such as witness statements which had been altered were classed as inadmissible. [91], After the disaster, Lord Justice Taylor was appointed to conduct an inquiry into the events. With 97 deaths and 766 injuries, it has the highest death toll in British sporting history. [307], In June 2014, an unnamed 24-year-old British civil servant was sacked for posting offensive comments about the disaster on Wikipedia. [138] The Home Secretary called for investigations into law-breaking and promised resources to investigate individual or systematic issues. Mackenzie reportedly spent two hours deciding on which headline to run; his original instinct being for "You Scum" before eventually deciding on "The Truth". [261] The Hillsborough Justice Campaign organised a less successful national boycott that had some impact on the paper's sales nationally. 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. "[318], Further extracts from what Eileen Delaney said can be found on the Hillsborough Justice Campaign website[319] and in Phil Scraton's book Hillsborough: The Truth. Transcripts of the proceedings and evidence that was produced during the hearings were published at the Hillsborough Inquests official website. Resumed on 19 November 1990,[81] they proved to be controversial. They both gave evidence at the 2016 Warrington inquests. Supporters laid down flowers and blue and white scarves to show respect for the dead and unity with fellow Merseysiders. [234][235] In April 1989, Bradford City and Lincoln City held a friendly match to benefit the victims of Hillsborough. [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. A terrible crowd crush claimed the lives of 96 innocen. A boycott of advertisers by American Liverpool fans eventually brought about an apology from him. 15 April 1989. A further 20 were from counties adjacent to Merseyside. Of those who died, 79 were aged under 30, 38 of whom were under 20, and all but three of the victims were aged under 50. Andrew Devine, 55, died on Tuesday, his family said in a statement released by Liverpool FC. 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. The extreme reaction to Mr Bigley's murder is fed by the fact that he was a Liverpudlian. [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. 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. 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. Other fans were pulled to safety by fans in the West Stand above the Leppings Lane terrace. 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". [32], Meanwhile, Hillsborough was accepted as the FA Cup semi-final venue on 20 March 1989 by the Football Association. 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. It has taken more than two decades, 400,000 documents and a two-year inquiry to discover to my horror that it would have been far more accurate had I written the headline The Lies rather than The Truth. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently dropped all charges against one of the defendants. Duckenfield was not required to appear as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) needed to apply to the High Court to lift a court order before he could be prosecuted on the manslaughter charges. Most significantly, it would find unlawful killing. They were asked 14 questions in relation to the disaster which killed 96 Liverpool . ", "Report summary (Page 14 of 14): Summary of Chapter 12: Behind the headlines: the origins, promotion and reproduction of unsubstantiated allegations", "Hillsborough disaster: new inquest likely after damning report", "Hillsborough files: Report raises spectre of criminal cases and shaming", "Report summary (Page 5 of 14): Summary of Chapter 3: Custom, practice, roles, responsibilities", "Hillsborough Disaster Report Published Wednesday 12 September", "Hillsborough statement: Cameron and Miliband apologise", "Kelvin MacKenzie offers 'profuse apologies' over Hillsborough", "Hillsborough families demand new inquests be held", "New Hillsborough inquest likely after damning report", "Hillsborough families call for FA apology over disaster", "Hillsborough report: FA could face charges, lawyers tell Liverpool fans' families", "Hillsborough: Sheffield Wednesday and police urged to admit blame", "Premier League chairman must resign, says Hillsborough support group", "Hillsborough: home secretary says law-breakers must face investigation", "Hillsborough: Norman Bettison resigns from West Yorkshire police", "Hillsborough: police chief 'boasted' of role in smearing fans", "Hillsborough: Football fans' behaviour made police's job harder, says Sir Norman Bettison", "Bettison due 83k-a-year pension despite Hillsborough probe", "Hillsborough inquests: Jury reaches decision on unlawful killing question", "Hillsborough disaster: Fans unlawfully killed", "Hillsborough inquest verdicts quashed by High Court", "Margaret Aspinall: I am so grateful to the people of Liverpool", "Tears of joy as inquest jury exonerates the 96 Hillsborough victims", "Hillsborough inquests: Reaction to unlawful killing conclusion", "Hillsborough inquest suggests police 'should be prosecuted', "Calls for prosecutions after 'greatest miscarriage of justice of our times', "Labour Party: 'Greatest miscarriage of justice of our times', "Jack Straw expresses regret over failure of Hillsborough review", "Jack Straw on 1997 Hillsborough inquiry: 'I wish I could turn the clock back', "Kelvin MacKenzie is still blaming other people for S*n's shameful front page", "Watch ex-S*n editor Kelvin MacKenzie squirm as he's chased by cameraman", "Freemason police officers tried to 'shift blame' after Hillsborough disaster, inquest told", "Hillsborough: David Duckenfield was in same Masons lodge as officer he replaced", "Hillsborough tragedy: Did the Freemasons influence the Police? [12], The second coroner's inquests were held from 1 April 2014 to 26 April 2016. Pearce went on to reflect that if South Yorkshire Police bore any responsibility, it was "for not realising what brutes they had to handle. Two sisters, three pairs of brothers, and a father and son were among those who died,[69] as were two men about to become fathers for the first time: 25-year-old Steven Brown of Wrexham[76] and 30-year-old Peter Thompson of Widnes. Today I offer my profuse apologies to the people of Liverpool for that headline. In 1999, Anfield was packed with a crowd of around 10,000 people ten years after the disaster. It affirmed the position of the courts once again towards claims of psychiatric injuries of secondary victims. [155], Echoing his 2012 expression of regret[158] former Home Secretary Jack Straw apologised to the families for the failures of his 1997 review of the disaster. [52] In the following days more than 200,000 people visited the "shrine" inside the stadium. [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". [4][8] Reporting in 2012, it confirmed Taylor's 1990 criticisms and revealed details about the extent of police efforts to shift blame onto fans, the role of other emergency services and the error of the first coroner's inquests. The Hillsborough inquest jury must answer a detailed questionnaire before delivering their verdicts. [232] Supporters of Everton, Liverpool's traditional local rivals, were affected, many of them having lost friends and family. For the second time in half a decade a large body of Liverpool supporters has killed people the shrine in the Anfield goalmouth, the cursing of the police, all the theatricals, come sweetly to a city which is already the world capital of self-pity. [29] Leeds were assigned the Leppings Lane end. The error staring them in the face was too glaring. Lord Justice Taylor, Interim Report (Cm 765), The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster, 15 April 1989: Inquiry by the Rt. 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. The Liverpool Echo condemned the apology as "cynical and shameless". Other messages came from Pope John Paul II, US President George H. W. Bush, and the chief executive of Juventus (fans of Liverpool and Juventus had been involved in the Heysel Stadium disaster) amongst many others. [309][310] Despite this he was replaced as presenter of Fox Football Fone-in. There are soapy politicians to make a pet of Liverpool, and Liverpool itself is always standing by to make a pet of itself. Time of. Dean Davis and David Walters, South African Liverpool supporters, were responsible for the service and the bench was commissioned by Guy Prowse in 2008. . It added:. By this time, a small gate in the fence had been forced open and some fans escaped via this route, as others continued to climb over the fencing. [43] Football players from both teams were ushered to their respective dressing rooms, and told that there would be a 30-minute postponement. They have no shame", "I live in a part of England that receives first edition of The Times. [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." 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. Their views were not "the maverick view from a disaffected minority but the considered opinion of the majority of professionals present from the outset". It was a fundamental mistake. Chief Superintendent Mole himself was to be transferred to the Barnsley division for "career development reasons". The city of Liverpool will today remember the 96 football fans who died at Hillsborough stadium, 30 years to the day since the disaster. [192] On 29June 2018, a ruling was made that Duckenfield would be prosecuted on the manslaughter charges. A quotation, attributed to an unnamed policeman, claimed a partially unclothed dead girl had been verbally abused, and that Liverpool fans were "openly urinating on us and the bodies of the dead". South Yorkshire Police had performed blood alcohol tests on the victims, some of them children, and ran computer checks on the national police database in an attempt to "impugn their reputation". Hon. [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. [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. 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. Bibliography of over 150 books, journal articles, TV programmes and websites relating to the Disaster and its aftermath produced by Sheffield City Council's Archives Service. 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." [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".