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. ", "West Yorkshire Chief Constable referred to IPCC", "Hillsborough disaster: Bettison's role revealed", "Hillsborough tragedy: Norman Bettison to retire after controversy over role", "Hillsborough disaster: the new evidence under IPCC investigation", "Hillsborough disaster: watchdog to launch biggest ever inquiry into police", "IPCC Hillsborough inquiry is another vindication for families", "Hillsborough probe 'to be UK's biggest into police conduct', "Hillsborough: 1,444 police names passed to IPCC", "Hillsborough: Application for new inquests", "Hillsborough Investigation Update: Independent Police Complaints Commission", "Hillsborough: 19 people refuse to help IPCC inquiry", "Hillsborough probe finds more police statements changed", "Statements from the CPS, IPCC and Operation Resolve following Hillsborough inquests verdict", "New Hillsborough investigation boss appointed", "David Duckenfield faces Hillsborough charges with five others", "Hillsborough trial: Men acquitted as judge rules no case to answer", "Hillsborough disaster accused appear in court", "Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield can face trial", "Hillsborough officer not charged over horse burn claims", "Hillsborough charges against Sir Norman Bettison dropped", "Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield denies manslaughter", "Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield appears in court at start of manslaughter trial", "Hillsborough trial: David Duckenfield 'will not testify', "Hillsborough trial: No verdict over David Duckenfield", "Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield retrial", "Hillsborough police chief David Duckenfield cleared of manslaughter", "How David Duckenfield's trial left Hillsborough families distraught again", "In the Crown Court at Manchester Sitting at Salford Quays. It's too little, too late. The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. 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? [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 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. Duckenfield took medical retirement on a full police pension. [191] The ruling also noted that the original statements had neither been destroyed, nor had they been ordered to be destroyed. [4] In 2009 a Hillsborough Independent Panel was formed to review the evidence. Hon. This game was Liverpool's first appearance on the football field since the disaster two weeks earlier. [297], Liverpool goalkeeper Charles Itandje was accused of having shown disrespect towards the Hillsborough victims during the 2009 remembrance ceremony, as he was spotted on camera "smiling and nudging" teammate Damien Plessis. Published. 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. There was insufficient evidence against the police officer to charge him with the offence. The request to delay the start of the match by 20 minutes was declined. Liverpool supporters were allocated the North and West ends (Leppings Lane), holding 24,256 fans, reached by 23 turnstiles from a narrow concourse. [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. 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. Hundreds of people were pressed against one another and the fencing by the weight of the crowd behind them. 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. 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. "[87], Popper had excluded the witness evidence of two qualified Merseyside doctors (Drs Ashton and Phillips) who had been inside the stadium on the day and who had been critical of the chaotic emergency response. Taylor concluded that policing on the day "broke down" and "the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control". [238][239], In December 2021, Liverpool City Council nominated Andrew Devine posthumously for the freedom of the city of Liverpool, a tribute given to the original 96 victims in 2016. The Taylor Report had a deep impact on safety standards for stadiums in the UK. The occasion was the first in which the two teams had met since the 1985 Bradford City stadium fire that had claimed 56 lives at Valley Parade. "[114] This was controversial as the subsequent response of the police and emergency services would not be scrutinised. To which the plain answer is that a good and sufficient minority of you behave like animals. The editor at the time, Dominic Mohan, wrote: "We published an inaccurate and offensive story about the events at Hillsborough. Today I offer my profuse apologies to the people of Liverpool for that headline. 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. [46]:137,138 As this declaration was not immediately performed, confusion reigned over those attempting to administer aid on the pitch. It added:. Stand Up Sit Down A Choice to Watch Football. Two further gates (A and B) were subsequently opened to relieve pressure. was played at Celtic Park, Glasgow, between the home club and Liverpool. [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". [46]:145 Any individuals within the stadium in need of medical attention were to be delivered expeditiously by police and paramedics to the CRP. [20], Risks associated with confining fans in pens were highlighted by the Committee of Inquiry into Crowd Safety at Sports Grounds (the Popplewell inquiry) after the Bradford City stadium fire in May 1985. A further 20 were from counties adjacent to Merseyside. [179], On 12 July 2013, it was reported that the IPCC had found that in addition to the now 164 police statements known to have been altered, a further 55 police officers had changed their statements. Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United players showed respect by wearing black armbands during their Champions League quarter-final matches on 14 and 15 April 2009. "[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. In 2009, on the 20th anniversary of the disaster, Liverpool's request that their Champions League quarter-finals return leg, scheduled for 15 April, be played the day before was granted. It was held that claimants who watched the disaster on television/listened on radio were not 'proximal' and their claims were rejected. The Football Spectators Act does not cover Scotland, but the Scottish Premier League chose to make all-seater stadiums a requirement of league membership. No known minutes exist of this meeting. Sadly I must report that for the most part the quality of their evidence was in inverse proportion to their rank". [90], Ashton and Phillips were not the only doctors present at the disaster not to be called to give evidence to the Popper inquests. He was suspended from the club for a fortnight and many fans felt he should not play for the club again. By 2:45pm, 5,531 fans had passed through the turnstiles into the terrace. His remarks led to Liverpool F.C. [52], Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Home Secretary Douglas Hurd visited Hillsborough the day after the disaster and met survivors. Former Chief Superintendent Duckenfield, in charge of the match, faced 95 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence. Some supporters were delayed by roadworks while crossing the Pennines on the M62 motorway which resulted in minor traffic congestion. 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'. [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." [43], The match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest began as scheduled at 3:00pm. "[281], Professor Phil Scraton described Pearce's comments as amongst the "most bigoted and factually inaccurate" published in the wake of the disaster. [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). Mackrell pleaded not guilty to the two charges against him. 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". Burnham, by then the Sports Minister, addressed the crowd but was heckled by supporters chanting "Justice for the 96". A request was made to relieve some of the pressure, and match commander Ch Supt David Duckenfield gave the order to open an exit gate. [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. [104], Taylor concluded his criticism of South Yorkshire Police by describing senior officers in command as "defensive and evasive witnesses" who refused to accept any responsibility for error: "In all some 65 police officers gave oral evidence at the Inquiry. 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. 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. An FA spokesperson said: "We supported Aleksander Ceferin's re-election as president of Uefa based on his track record in the role over a number of years, which included dealing with the . [94] Further stating: "South Yorkshire Police were not prepared to concede they were in any respect at fault in what occurred. [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. Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners? "[220] A gospel choir performed and the ceremony ended with a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone". [13] They ruled that the supporters were unlawfully killed owing to grossly negligent failures by police and ambulance services to fulfil their duty of care. The transfer was to be done with immediate effect on 27 March 1989.