Hillsborough Inquests - Fans Unlawfully Killed,Jury Concludes Tuesday April 26,2016

Families of the 96 fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster have declared justice has been done after an inquests jury found they were unlawfully killed.

What was the Hillsborough disaster?

On 15 April more than 24,000 Liverpool fans travelled to Sheffield for their club's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool supporters were assigned the North and West stands of the Hillsborough stadium. In the period before kick-off, a large crowd of those fans built up outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end.
As the crowd gathered, an order was given to open an exit gate to relieve turnstile pressure. In the five minutes that gate C was open, about 2,000 Liverpool fans entered the stadium.
A "significant proportion" headed via a tunnel to the terraces behind the goal, entering "relatively full' central pens that were fenced on all sides. There was then a severe crush.

Timeline of Hillsborough Disaster on April 15,1989

Beginning of the day: South Yorkshire Police asked both clubs to ensure their fans arrived between 10.30am and 2pm for the game.

2pm: The Leppings Lane turnstiles began operating smoothly, but after 2.15pm the volume of fans increased.  

2.30pm: The road was closed. Fans were asked over the PA system to move forward and spread out in the space. Officers considered delayed the kick-off but did not.

2.40pm: Large crowds had built up outside the turnstiles.

2.44pm: Fans were asked to stop pushing, though crowding was already bad and the turnstiles were struggling to cope.

2.47pm to 2.57pm: Some external gates were opened to relived pressure on the turnstiles - which caused fans to rush forward and crowd the pens even more. Pressure built up, and narrow gates in two of the pens were opened. Officers though fans were deliberately invading the pitch.

3pm: Kick-off. By this time the crush at the front of the pens was intolerable.

3.04pm: Liverpool player Peter Beardsley struck the crossbar of the Nottingham goal, causing fans to rush forward again. The huge pressure caused one of the crush barriers to break, making the situation even more dire for those pressed against it.

3.05pm: Ambulance staff began investigation.

3.05pm to 3.06pm: Police Superintendent Roger Greenwood decided the match had to be stopped and ran onto the pitch.

3.06pm to 3.08pm: Police called for a fleet of ambulances.

3.07pm to 3.10pm: South Yorkshire Police called for all available resources to come to the stadium. 

3.08pm: Ambulance officers, under Mr Higgins, returned to the Leppings Lane end to treat a fracture victim. There were more spectators on the pitch. Some were distressed, some were angry.

3.13pm: An ambulance from St John Ambulance, the volunteer force, was driven around the perimeter of the pitch at the north-east corner. It was mentioned that there may have been fatalities.

3.15pm: The secretary of Sheffield Wednesday and the chief executive of the Football Association, Graham Kelly, went to the police control box to ask for information. Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield said there were fatalities and the game was likely to be called off. He also said that a gate had been forced, that there had been an in-rush of Liverpool supporters. This later transpired to not be correct.

3.29pm: By this time fire engines and more ambulances had arrived. One ambulance was driven onto the pitch.

3.56pm: Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, broadcast a message to all fans. He asked them to remain calm and in their seats. The police had asked him to do so.  

4.10pm: The match was formally abandoned and many fans returned home.

96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster

Ninety-six men, women and children died as a result of the crush. All except one were Liverpool supporters.
The youngest victim was 10-year-old Jon-Paul Gilhooley. The oldest was Gerard Baron, who was 67. Thirty-eight of the victims were aged 19 or under.

 

Lawyers acting on their behalf said the conclusions had "completely vindicated" their 27-year battle for the truth.

Jurors found police failures before and during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final led to the fatal crush.

Two criminal investigations into the disaster and its aftermath are ongoing and could finish by the end of 2016.

A police probe is looking at the lead-up to the crush on the day of the match, while a separate inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the allegations of a cover-up afterwards.

The jury concluded that mistakes by South Yorkshire Police (SYP) and South Yorkshire Ambulance Service on the day had "caused or contributed" to the disaster.

Fans had not contributed to the danger unfolding at the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday's ground on 15 April 1989, the inquests concluded earlier

Nine jurors reached unanimous decisions on all but one of the 14 questions at the inquests in Warrington, Cheshire.

The jury also concluded

• Police errors caused a dangerous situation at the turnstiles
• Failures by commanding officers caused a crush on the terraces
• There were mistakes in the police control box over the order to open the Leppings Lane end exit gates
• Defects at the stadium, including calculations over crowd capacity, contributed to the disaster
• There was an error in the safety certification of the Hillsborough stadium
• South Yorkshire Police (SYP) and South Yorkshire Ambulance Service (SYAS) delayed declaring a major incident
• The emergency response was therefore delayed
• Sheffield Wednesday failed to approve the plans for dedicated turnstiles for each pen
• There was inadequate signage at the club and misleading information on match tickets
• Club officials should have requested a delay in kick off as they were aware of a huge number of fans outside shortly before the game was due to start

Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram, who was at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster, said: "Justice has been served by the verdicts and now it is about accountability."

The focus of the families has now turned to whether criminal prosecutions will follow in light of the evidence that emerged.

Relatives of those who died as a result of the fatal crush at Liverpool's match against Nottingham Forest accused SYP of "a culture of denial".

Labour MP Andy Burnham, who has supported the campaign, said: "This has been the greatest miscarriage of justice of our times.
"But, finally, it is over."

The names of all those who died will be read out at a commemoration service outside St George's Hall in Liverpool on Wednesday April 27,2016

There will be 96 lanterns and 96 red roses laid on the steps of the hall.

Home Secretary Theresa May is due to give the government's response to the jury's conclusions in the House of Commons later.

Steven Gerrard posted a picture of the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield with the simple message 'JFT96 #YNWA'