Mansfield said: But this isnt what happened on this day, this wasnt fans turning up late, having got into a drunken state, was it?, Duckenfield responded: I will have to disagree., Pressed on whether he had received any information in the buildup to the match that fans turned up drunk and late, he replied: I cant recall, sir.. He said he had post traumatic stress disorder, and hid myself away and could not bear the word Hillsborough after the report was published, but then said he had begun to face the truth two years ago, with the help of doctors. The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will seek a retrial, which Duckenfield is expected to oppose, at a hearing scheduled for 24 June. He said this as Dolores Steele, Barry Devonside and Trevor Hicks - all of whom lost children, all of whom gave evidence in these trials - were desperately hoping their teenagers would survive. David Duckenfield, who as an inexperienced chief superintendent in the South Yorkshire police was in charge of the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, admitted he had not told the whole truth about mistakes he made on the day, through a succession of legal inquiries since 1989. It took some tortuous legal logic to create a courtroom environment where this could be allowed to happen. It is hard to comprehend how the relatives have maintained their dignity in the face of numerous disappointments and crass treatment from the authorities. Following a public announcement by Labour minister Andy Burnham, concerning the possible early release of Hillsborough-related documents, the HFSG meets with the home secretary and the Hillsborough Independent Panel is set up. A police doctor certified him as "unfit to undertake the duties of a police constable" and diagnosed him with "severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder". The Independent Police Complaints Commission launches an investigation into an alleged cover-up by officers in the aftermath of the disaster. The former chief superintendent of South Yorkshire police, David Duckenfield, leaves after giving evidence to the Hillsborough inquest in Warrington. It remained open for more than five minutes. "With all due respect, my lord, 96 people were found unlawfully killed to a criminal standard," she said. Answering questions from Mansfield, Duckenfield said, however, that he did believe Liverpool fans turned up late and drunk to the match, and that Merseyside police failed to tell the South Yorkshire force that Liverpool fans were in the habit of doing that. But the Hillsborough families and survivors will find the outcome hard to take and will ask hard questions about the 65m spent on a criminal investigation which has ended with no one convicted for so many lives lost. Ms Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, thanked those who had supported the families over the past 31 years. Wed 1 Mar 2023 12.40 . The only effective way to ensure this sort of scenario is not repeated is accountability. He agreed with Michael Mansfield QC, representing 75 families whose relatives were killed in the lethal crush, that he was practising and persisted in a far-reaching deceit on the day, by lying to Football Association and football club officials about his actions. The CPS spokeswoman said: "The disaster at Hillsborough 30 years ago has caused unimaginable suffering to the families of those who sadly lost their lives and to everybody affected by the tragic events of that day. Start your free trial. About 45 family members watched the verdict from the Cunard building in Liverpool, where the trial was screened. The retired chief superintendent, 75, denied the charge relating to the FA Cup semi-final on April 15 1989. The retired chief . The High Court quashes the original inquest verdicts of accidental death and orders new inquests. So ashamed, embarrassed, distressed that at a later boardroom meeting of officials he failed to correct his lie - with one inquest witness claiming he actually repeated it. Weakest since 2012: UK house price average falls to 257,406. This 1992 family photo shows, from left, her son Thomas . He said footage of a mother having to cuddle her dead child on the dirty floor of the Hillsborough gymnasium was the most moving thing he had ever seen, and that it had shown him "what it means to a mother to lose a loved one". By November 1991, he was medically retired from South Yorkshire Police on a full pension, two years after being suspended from duty. David Duckenfield, who was the chief superintendent in charge of the game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, told FA officials at 3.15pm that "a gate had been forced and there had been an. Members of the public make 17 complaints that are considered for disciplinary action, which is recommended for David Duckenfield and Bernard Murray, who was ground commander on the day. Expert policing witness Douglas Hopkins said this was a potential warning sign. Sir Peter Openshaw, the judge, told the jury that the inquests findings which were not discussed in court were quite irrelevant. Home secretary Theresa May orders a new criminal investigation into the disaster, Operation Resolve. David Duckenfield is not a criminal, a jury has decided. But an inquest is not a criminal court, and so it was for another jury to decide whether Mr Duckenfield's mistakes amounted to gross negligence manslaughter. The Taylor Report causes UK-wide changes to football stadiums, seeing fencing removed and standing terraces converted to seating areas at large venues. Something went wrong, please try again later. Sir Norman Bettison, the former police chief constable accused of blaming fans for the disaster, has all four criminal charges against him dropped. It was David Duckenfield, Preston Crown Court heard, who told FA chiefs fans had gained entry through a forced stadium gate before the crush on the terraces beyond. "I would like to know who is responsible for my father's death because someone is.". He admitted everything at the 2015 inquests into the disaster, saying that his professional failings led to the deaths of 96 innocent men, women and children. [1] This resulted in overcrowding of those pens and the crush. "I am really angry but I am trying be calm for these families who have suffered," she said. David Duckenfield was in charge when a crush developed in terraced pens on 15 April 1989 . Christine, whose father Henry Burke was killed in the disaster, addressed the judge after the verdict was read out. That a publicly funded authority can lawfully withhold information from a public inquiry charged with finding out why 96 people died at a football match, in order to ensure that it never happened again or that a solicitor can advise such a withholding, without sanction of any sort, may be a matter which should be subject to scrutiny.. ", To the families he added: "It has now dawned on me what it means to you, and I am dreadfully sorry. The families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, the survivors who managed to get out of the overcrowded pens at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesdays ground, and the campaigners who have fought relentlessly for justice for decades were expecting the verdict. Inquests open in Sheffield, heard by the local coroner, and South Yorkshire Police renews its argument that drunk supporters who arrived late and without tickets contributed to the disaster. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Christine Burke, whose father Henry Burke was killed in the disaster, stood in the public gallery and addressed the judge after the verdict was read out. David Duckenfield, the police commander at the Hillsborough football stadium disaster, was on Thursday found not guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans who were. Duckenfield responded: Sir, I was not outside the turnstiles, but I am not in a position to dispute his view.. A Hillsborough charity music single, a version of He Aint Heavy Hes My Brother, is confirmed as Christmas Number One days later. After delivering the verdict the judge, Sir Peter Openshaw thanked the jury before they were dismissed. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. As the families continue to campaign, ITV screens a drama about the disaster written by Jimmy McGovern. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. He acknowledged that even after he said he realised, at 3:04pm on the day, that he was facing a medical emergency not an incident of disorder, he called for police dogs to come to the ground, not ambulances. Her adult life has been dominated by the quest to find the truth about her father and gain justice for him. After the longest inquest in British history, lasting 90 days, a verdict of accidental death is returned by a majority verdict of 9-2. This halts disciplinary proceedings being brought by the Police Complaints Authority. Allen told the inquests last week that he had policed hundreds of football matches and attended thousands as a Liverpool fan. Mr Murray is acquitted and the jury is undecided on David Duckenfield. Mistake. I hoped it would go away. The court heard the chief superintendent ordered the opening of exit gates at the Leppings Lane end of the ground at 2.52pm, eight minutes before kick-off, after the area outside the turnstiles became dangerously overcrowded. "I would like to know who is responsible for my father's death because someone is.". The matchday commander at Hillsborough was. All this had been comprehensively dismissed at the inquests. The Crown Prosecution Service decides that following consideration of all the evidence and documentation, there is no evidence to justify any criminal proceedings against South Yorkshire Police officers, Sheffield Wednesday FC, Sheffield City Council or Eastwoods the structural engineering firm that designed the pens. What has been heard here in this court will have been surprising to many, she said. Tom Davidson Assistant news editor. He had originally been accused of the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 Liverpool fans, but denied all the charges. Sheffield Wednesday's former club secretary Graham Mackrell was found guilty of a health and safety offence in May 2019. But the jury accepted the defence case that the 75-year-old was a target of blame who was unfairly singled out for prosecution. Sir, I am the man in overall control, he replied. The Sun newspaper publishes its infamous front page with the headline The Truth, blaming drunk Liverpool fans for the disaster and even accusing some of stealing from the dead and injured. But his acquittal does not undo his shameful lie. He was fined 6,500 and ordered to pay 5,000. Those systems failed on 15 April, 1989, and no one will ever take responsibility for that failure. News. Sheffield Wednesday FC is also criticised for an inadequate number of turnstiles at the Leppings Lane entrance and the poor quality of crush barriers on the terraces, some of which collapsed during the disaster. Of the 96 people who were crushed, trampled or suffocated, 37 were teenagers, most still at school, many attending their first away game supporting Liverpool. 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