[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". [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 Liverpool fan who suffered life-changing injuries in the Hillsborough disaster has died. The panel concluded that "up to 41" of the 96 who had died up to that date, might have survived had the emergency services' reactions and co-ordination been better. By 2:45pm, 5,531 fans had passed through the turnstiles into the terrace. [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 Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. [228], A song was released to mark the 20th anniversary, entitled "Fields of Anfield Road" which peaked at No. He was omitted from the first team squad and never played for the club in any capacity again. [4] In 2009 a Hillsborough Independent Panel was formed to review the evidence. [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. Ruling on Submissions of No Case to Answer", "Lack of Hillsborough accountability is a scandal, says minister", "Hillsborough families attack 'ludicrous' acquittals of police", "Hillsborough families to sue police for 'abuse on industrial scale', "Hillsborough: Police forces agree cover-up compensation for victims", "Hillsborough memorial returns to Anfield", "Anfield memorial updated in honour of 97th victim of Hillsborough", "Hillsborough memorial clock unveiled at Liverpool Town Hall", "Everton FC to unveil tribute to Hillsborough 96 ahead of Merseyside derby", "Uefa to help Liverpool avoid Hillsborough clash", "Anfield's Hillsborough memorial service to be held for last time in April", "Football to remember Hillsborough disaster", "A minute's silence to remember Hillsborough", "Liverpool avoid Hillsborough anniversary clash", "Thousands flock to Anfield as Liverpool marks 20th anniversary of Hillsborough", "Hundreds mark Hillsborough anniversary in city", "Giggs showed that even in a cash-conscious age the game has moments which defy evaluation", "Milan vs Real Madrid Fans Sing You'll Never Walk Alone", "MP's tearful tribute to Hillsborough 96", "Hillsborough debate full transcript: Read everything MPs said in the House of Commons link to full video now added", "Hillsborough: 97th victim's family 'proud' of Freedom of Liverpool award", "Chapter 12: Behind the headlines: the origins, promotion and reproduction of unsubstantiated allegations (Page 3 of 10): 'The Truth', "The Immediate Aftermath The Media Reaction Hillsborough Football Disaster", "Is it time to forgive and forget Kelvin Mackenzie and the Sun over the lies they told about Hillsborough? Boycotts include both customers refusing to purchase it, and retailers refusing to stock it. Failure to put Hillsborough on front page a shocking misjudgement", "FHM Australia, pulled after Hillsborough comments", "FHM faces a boycott after Hillsborough 'joke', "The truth about that awful Boris Johnson 'quote' on Hillsborough", "Hillsborough: Boris Johnson 'very, very' sorry for blaming Liverpool fans", "Hillsborough: Boris Johnson apologises for slurs in 2004 Spectator article", "Hillsborough papers: Boris Johnson apologises over article", "United fans want to end Hillsborough chants", "Manchester United fan groups want end to sick chants", "Hillsborough disaster: Sir Oliver Popplewell outrages campaigners with comments", "Former judge tells Hillsborough families to drop 'conspiracy theories', "Hillsborough disaster: Probe into South Yorkshire police email", "Hillsborough verdict finds Liverpool fans unlawfully killed, fans blameless and shocking police failures", "South Yorkshire Police chief suspended over Hillsborough", "Civil servant sacked for offensive Wikipedia edits on Hillsborough", "Q&A: Fox's Steven Cohen on the Advertiser Boycott Over His Remarks on Soccer Stadium Deaths", "Steven Cohen Apologizes For Inaccurate Hillsborough Claims", "Steven Cohen Blames Liverpool Fans For Hillsborough Disaster", "Flashback: The Hillsborough Disaster and the Fall of Steven Cohen", "Hillsborough mum tells of Sir Bernard Ingham's "hurtful" letters", "Bernard Ingham, who called Liverpool fans 'tanked up yobs', still refuses to apologise to Hillsborough families despite inquest findings", "Ingham STILL refuses to say sorry for blaming Liverpool fans over Hillsborough", "Petition to strip Bernard Ingham of his knighthood for blaming fans", "Why the people of Liverpool are totally justified in holding Topman to account", "The Immediate Aftermath 4. [118], In the years after the disaster, the Hillsborough Family Support Group had campaigned for the release of all relevant documents into the public domain. Inquests into the deaths were opened and adjourned immediately after the disaster. They buried their dead, comforted the bereaved and succoured the injured. ", "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? [37] At 2:46pm, the BBC's football commentator John Motson had already noticed the uneven distribution of people in the Leppings Lane pens. ", "South Yorkshire police to ask IPCC to investigate Hillsborough officers' conduct", "Justice for Hillsborough Victims and Families: What Happens Next? Hillsborough first aired in the US on 15April 2014, the 25th anniversary of the disaster. The 350 passengers arrived at the ground at about 2:20pm. [293], In November 2007, the BBC soap opera EastEnders caused controversy when the character Minty Peterson (played by Cliff Parisi) made a reference to the disaster. The city of Liverpool will today remember the 96 football fans who died at Hillsborough stadium, 30 years to the day since the disaster. The safety certificate was never renewed and the stated capacity of the stadium was never changed. I published in good faith and I am sorry that it was so wrong". We had the media against us, as well as the establishment. [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. Ninety-four people, aged from 10 to 67 years old, died on the day, either at the stadium, in the ambulances, or shortly after arrival at hospital. calling for his resignation, but he apologised on discovering hooliganism was not the cause. [37], The report dismissed the theory, put forward by South Yorkshire Police, that fans attempting to gain entry without tickets or with forged tickets were contributing factors. [192] On 29June 2018, a ruling was made that Duckenfield would be prosecuted on the manslaughter charges. Mackenzie reportedly spent two hours deciding on which headline to run; his original instinct being for "You Scum" before eventually deciding on "The Truth". [citation needed], A television drama, based on the disaster and subsequent events, titled simply Hillsborough, was produced by Granada Television in 1996. It was brought by police officers on duty against the chief constable who was said to have been vicariously liable for the disaster. [308], In 2009, nearly twenty years to the day after the disaster, Steven Cohen, a presenter on Fox Soccer Channel and Sirius satellite radio in the United States (an Englishman and Chelsea fan), stated on his radio show that Liverpool fans "without tickets" were the "root cause" and "perpetrators" of the disaster. "[155] The Labour Party described the handling of the Hillsborough disaster as the "greatest miscarriage of justice of our times", with Labour MPs Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram calling for accountability and the prosecution of those responsible. The death of two witnesses and contradictions in the evidence of others were cited as part of the reason for the decision. There were cases of alcoholism, drug abuse, and collapsed marriages involving people who had witnessed the events. Two thousand traveling Liverpool away fans entered an already packed terrace via a . [96] He said that "the Operational Order and police tactics on the day failed to provide for controlling a concentrated arrival of large numbers should that occur in a short period. [17] From 1974, when these security standards were put in place, crushes occurred in several English stadiums. Between 2:30pm and 2:40pm, there was a build-up of supporters outside the turnstiles facing Leppings Lane, eager to enter the stadium before the game began. Liverpool's goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar, reported fans from behind him pleading to him for help as the situation worsened. The reason given was that the public inquiry in 1990, to which the altered statements were submitted, was not a statutory inquiry, and therefore not a Court of Law. FA Cup semi-final Liverpool v Nottingham Forest. This included the Wolverhampton-based Express & Star, which reported that the match had been cancelled as a result of a "pitch invasion in which many fans were injured". The Hillsborough inquest jury must answer a detailed questionnaire before delivering their verdicts. The panel was chaired by James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool. Deborah Glass, deputy chair of the IPCC said, "We know the people who have contacted us are the tip of the iceberg." Lord Justice Taylor, Interim Report (Cm 765), The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster, 15 April 1989: Inquiry by the Rt. 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. Former Sheffield Wednesday F.C. [271], In February 2017, Liverpool F.C. I was not sorry then and I'm not sorry now". [4], Police disciplinary charges were abandoned when Duckenfield retired on health grounds and, because Murray was unavailable, it was decided not to proceed with disciplinary charges against him. How the Hillsborough disaster unfolded. [91], After the disaster, Lord Justice Taylor was appointed to conduct an inquiry into the events. Trust v Bland [1993] A.C. 789, a landmark House of Lords decision in English criminal law, that allowed the life-support machine of Tony Bland, a Hillsborough victim in a persistent vegetative state, to be switched off. [82] The inquests returned verdicts of accidental death on 26 March 1991, much to the dismay of the bereaved families, who had been hoping for a verdict of unlawful killing or an open verdict, and for manslaughter charges to be brought against the officers who had been present at the disaster. People are very upset by it. A 20 minute video of the disaster in Windows Media Player format. [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. [9][10][11] The panel's report resulted in the previous findings of accidental death being quashed, and the creation of new coroner's inquests. [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]. Sheffield Wednesday's primary concern was to limit costs." The issue of congested access to the turnstiles remained unresolved, with over 24,000 fans entering through 23 turnstiles at Leppings. Andrew Devine, aged 22 at the time of the disaster, suffered similar injuries to Tony Bland and was also diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state. [19] Sheffield Wednesday were later criticised for neglecting safety in the stadium, especially after an incident in the semi-final of the 1981 FA Cup. "[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. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently dropped all charges against one of the defendants. [316], In March 2018, British clothing retailer Topman marketed a T-shirt which was interpreted by members of the public, including relatives of Hillsborough victims, as mocking the disaster. [89] Phillips stated that the exclusion of their evidence was a 'serious error of judgement' by Popper. [46]:142 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. [94] Further stating: "South Yorkshire Police were not prepared to concede they were in any respect at fault in what occurred. They see themselves whenever possible as victims, and resent their victim status; yet at the same time they wallow in it. Garston and Halewood MP Maria Eagle called for the law to be changed to "prevent another catastrophic failure of justice".[204][205]. Of those statements, 116 were amended to remove or change negative comments about South Yorkshire Police. [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. [29] Other accounts told of fans having to be pulled to safety from above. 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. Speaking after the disaster, Kelly backed all-seater stadiums, saying "We must move fans away from the ritual of standing on terraces". Blaming Liverpool fans persisted even after the Taylor Report of 1990, which found that the main cause was a failure of crowd control by SYP. In addition to the "unlawful killing" verdict, the jury concluded that "errors or omissions" by police commanding officers, Sheffield Wednesday, the ambulance service and the design and certification of the stadium had all "caused or contributed" to the deaths, but that the behaviour of football supporters had not. Fans were still streaming into pens 3 and 4 from the rear entrance tunnel as the match began. [1][4] The inquests also found that the design of the stadium contributed to the crush, and that supporters were not to blame for the dangerous conditions. Liverpool is a handsome city with a tribal sense of community. [3] The match was abandoned and restaged at Old Trafford in Manchester on 7 May 1989; Liverpool won and went on to win that season's FA Cup. [71][72] The death toll reached 96 in March 1993, when artificial feeding and hydration were withdrawn from 22-year-old Tony Bland after nearly four years, during which time he had remained in a persistent vegetative state showing no sign of improvement.