Topic: Hillsborough - Inquest Verdicts - Tuesday 26th April

[Redallover11]

Twats like that will always exist and are best ignored. All the facts are out now and the jury has spoken. If anyone wants to remain ignorant and ill-informed at this point, that's their problem.

Well said.

Feel so sad today and also feeling so happy for those families.
 Just reliving that day watching from a living room in Dublin as a young Liverpool supporter wishing I was there and then screaming at me Da to come in and see what was unfolding.

I can't imagine just can't imagine what those families have had to live through.
 A man who went to a game with his kids, goes off to  buy a programme never to see his two beautiful daughters again.

This is at last some sort of closure for families affected and for those fuckers who come out with that sort of shit quoted above may they never have to live with something like that happen to their loved ones.




[Nobody cares what phone you have and that you are using the free version of Tapatalk]

[Nessy76]

A hugely emotional day for everyone connected with this club and this city. After so long, such a hard fight, to finally be here today,  it's going to take a while to sink in, to believe that this chapter is now over. More to do, of course, and whatever happens can never be enough for what the families have been through with dignity and determination.

So proud of this club, these people.
It's a cliché on these pages, but the words have never meant more: You'll Never Walk Alone.

[Motty]

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant news. I don't think i breathed for the couple of minutes waiting for the scheduled radio new to come on. Tense ain't the word.

Just amazing that it's taken this long but we got there in the end. Congratulations to everyone involved over the years.

YNWA

[Alf Garnett!]

There are so many who fought for justice,who have stood up in the face of adversity so many times with such dignity who i feel deserve to be recognised for what was achieved today.

The Freedom of Liverpool?

A monumental day,my heads still in the clouds..i dunno,there certainly should be something.

[4pool]

Hillsborough inquests end, criminal investigation to conclude


Now the Hillsborough inquests have concluded, the police watchdog said it was focusing on the criminal investigation into the disaster.

Rachel Cerfontyne, deputy chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commissioner said: “Now the inquests have ended our role in providing documents and other material to support the Coroner is over.

"However the end of the inquests does not mark the end of the process.Our attention now focuses on concluding our criminal investigation into the aftermath of the disaster."

[sinnermichael]

Hillsborough lies revealed. Migrant children turned away. Junior Doctors smeared. A reminder of everything the Tories stand for in one day.

[Nessy76]

Read his book 'Filth' - Not so glowing about the city or its people (albeit vicariously through a fictitious character) so he can keep it buttoned

Through a character who is the personification of everything that is wrong with the police and is completely disgusting and immoral. Writers are not their characters.

[Pheeny]

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/128822/moderation-info

[Crosby Nick]

Been out all day and have no mobile at the moment. Horrible wait all day and only catching up with things now but seems like the news we were all hoping for. Time to digest it all and think about what happens next but just wanted to say a huge well done and thank you to the campaigners who have fought for so long for the truth to come out.

[Barneylfc∗]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/hillsborough-phil-scraton-seven-days-11244314

Hillsborough: Phil Scraton on seven days from 27 years that unravelled web of deceit



Professor Phil Scraton, of the Hillsborough Independent Panel, on the long road to justice

   

Phil Scraton

In an exclusive article for the ECHO, Professor Phil Scraton, the primary author of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report, details the long and winding road leading to the inquest verdicts
September 12, 2012, 9am

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. High on a stage in the Nave I stood before families and survivors. On behalf of the Hillsborough Independent Panel chaired by James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool, I delivered our 153 detailed findings. Dismissing years of false allegations, we had found no evidence ‘to verify the serious allegations of drunkenness, ticketlessness or violence among Liverpool fans’.

Neither had they ‘conspired to arrive late at the stadium and force entry’, nor had they stolen from the dead. In fact the mass of documents revealed a structurally unsafe stadium, its management and policing complacent, neglectful and deficient.

An hour passed in a flash. I finished. You could hear a pin drop. Together as one, families – many in tears – stood to applaud. Within minutes the Prime Minister addressed a packed House of Commons. He offered ‘a proper apology to the families of the 96 for all they had suffered over the past 23 years’.

It was a ‘double injustice’ – the ‘failure of the state to protect their loved ones, the indefensible wait to get to the truth’, and ‘the injustice of the denigration of the deceased that they somehow were at fault for their own deaths’.

The home secretary announced a ‘move from truth to justice’.

What followed was unprecedented. Long-term, fully resourced criminal and disciplinary investigations – still ongoing – the quashing of the inquest verdicts with new inquests to follow. Why had it taken so long? For families and survivors the road to the Cathedral had been broken and painful – grief and injustice combining to cause illness and further loss.
April 15, 1989, 3.20pm

Like so many, my recollections have not diminished with passing time. Only the second semi-final I’d missed in years. As the disaster unfolded, stunned, I watched Grandstand’s live coverage. There and then it was obvious it wasn’t crowd disorder. As John Motson commented, the central pens were crammed, the side pens half empty.

Little did we know, at that moment in the police control box match commander David Duckenfield told the FA’s chief executive Liverpool fans had forced entry, rushed the tunnel and caused the fatal crush. In minutes his lie was broadcast around the world. Fans trapped, dying and rescuing were blamed.

Later I heard from returning survivors that the police had opened exit gates to relieve a crush at slow turnstiles. Without guidance they walked through Gate C, down the steep tunnel directly ahead and into the back of already overfull pens. Unable to retreat, trapped like cattle to the front and sides, the compression was unbearable. An old safety barrier collapsed. Death and injury were inevitable.

Hillsborough verdict
Updates from court Fans played no role in tragedy 96 Liverpool fans were unlwafully killed Comment: At long last we have the truth Families sing You'll Never walk Alone Witnesses who couldn't recall evidence Inside the huge criminal investigations Criminal charges could now follow

As I heard chilling accounts, Liverpool’s chairman bemoaned the club’s chances of returning to Europe. There was instant outrage.

The mile of scarves between Goodison and Anfield, the thousands of tributes on the pitch, the enormity of the tragedy began to sink in. Worse followed. Proclaiming ‘THE TRUTH’, The Sun alongside other newspapers published scurrilous allegations orchestrated by senior officers and wired by a Sheffield news agency.

The initial tide of national sympathy turned, the bereaved and survivors were devastated.

As hostility mounted I contacted Liverpool City Council and the Hillsborough Project was born.
August 4, 1990

The Taylor Report concluded the ‘main cause’ of the disaster was ‘overcrowding’, the main reason ‘failure in police control’. At the highest level the police and other agencies were found wanting.

Responding angrily, South Yorkshire’s chief constable vowed the inquests would exonerate his officers. The eventual accidental death verdict appeared to prove him right.

In 1995 our 350-page report, No Last Rights, revealed the full extent of the flawed inquests. It was ignored. Then I met a former South Yorkshire police officer whose statement had been reviewed and altered without his consent. This led to accessing all South Yorkshire police statements.

I uncovered their systematic review and alteration carried out by a team under the force’s head of management services in consultation with its solicitors.

None of this cut ice with Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, appointed by the Labour government in 1997 to review new evidence. He rejected my call for a ‘wide-ranging’ full inquiry stating it ‘would clearly impose enormous burdens on the police and the hospital and medical staff to no purpose’.

My ‘allegation’ of ‘malpractice’ was ‘not substantiated’. He found ‘no irregularities’ in the investigations or inquests. This was the government’s final word – the end of the road had been reached.
April 15, 2009, 3.30pm

At the 20th anniversary, addressing a near-full Anfield, the then culture minister, Andy Burnham, praised the families’ ‘dignity’, ‘resolve’ and ‘remarkable courage’ in the face of ‘major injustice’.

Then, ‘in the public interest’, he called for ‘full disclosure’ and an independent review of all Hillsborough-related official documents.

The Hillsborough Independent Panel was appointed in January 2010 and I headed its research.

New inquests, unprecedented in size, complexity and legal representation, followed. During five preliminary hearings the coroner, a high court judge, stated the inquest would not degenerate into an ‘adversarial battle’ between lawyers. It was a hollow wish. Battle-lines were soon drawn.

Allegations of drunkenness, ticketlessness and so-called late arrival were back on the agenda. Lawyers representing the police and other authorities distinguished between the ‘innocence’ of the 96 and the ‘guilt’ of an unidentified minority who survived.
March 31, 2014, 11.43am

Before a jury and over 100 lawyers, the inquests opened in a converted office block on Birchwood Park industrial estate, Warrington. Families presented moving personal profiles of loved ones. They were adapted to be non-controversial. Many family members, among them survivors, felt yet again they had been censored.

Throughout 22 months evidence was heard from over 500 witnesses. It focused on the stadium’s history, condition, safety and structural modifications, planning for the semi-final, and the disaster itself. Reports were presented by experts in safety, policing and pre-hospital emergency care. Two medical teams reviewed the original pathological evidence. As anticipated, there was minimal common ground between fans’ and police accounts. The alteration of police and ambulance service statements was laid bare.

Foreseeable, ignored risks, first evident in a near fatal crush at Hillsborough in 1981, were revealed to the jury. Deficiencies included: restricted access from Leppings Lane, broken terracing, inadequate escape routes, locked perimeter track gates, ineffectual policing and stewarding.

All this had been exposed in my 1999 book and further detailed by the Panel’s research. The inquest jury heard it for the first time. The expert witnesses confirmed the stadium’s unsafe condition and policing failures.
January 25, 2016, 10.16am

The coroner began his complex, detailed and contested summing-up. He would offer only one possible verdict – unlawfully killed. Whether or not the jury returned this verdict, they were instructed to provide a narrative focusing on key questions. Five concerned policing and police actions. Others addressed the club’s conduct, stadium defects, stadium licensing and oversight, the safety advisors, and the emergency response.

One question was profoundly controversial. Asking if fans’ behaviour ‘caused or contributed to the dangerous situation’, it reflected repeated allegations made primarily by police officers.

Ironically, and unknown to the jury, some who made these allegations had been interviewed by the investigation teams and may face charges. This revealed the problem of holding inquests before prosecutions and disciplinary actions have been completed. It threatened to reverse the Panel’s findings. Families and survivors were incensed.

At 2.05pm on April 6, 2016, day 308, the jury retired.
April 26 2016

The jury returned to a packed court at 11am on April 26, 25 months on from the inquests’ opening. Their verdict was unanimous on all questions except one – a 7-2 majority that the 96 were unlawfully killed. It reverberated around the court.

Sitting among families and survivors the release of tension, depth of pain and emotion of exhaustion was immediate. As the detailed narrative was delivered, the fans were exonerated, the institutions called to account. Complacency, profound negligence and persistent denial was fully exposed. And the accidental death verdicts blighting the memory of the 96 were wiped from the record.

For families and survivors their journey is yet to be completed. Unprecedented in scope the current Operation Resolve and Independent Police Complaints Commission investigations will bring disciplinary actions and prosecutions. This week, in keeping with the Panel’s findings, the jury’s narrative laid full collective responsibility for the disaster at the doors of the organisations that - with appalling consequences - failed in their duty of care.

Their determination to mask truth and escape justice has unravelled.

[Durlmints]

Anne was absolutely amazing. I can't even imagine how much strength it must have taken to do what she did for all those years. Truly remarkable.

[mersey_paradiso]

Barry Devonside thanking the jury and the lawyers and laying into SYP again at the press conference.

Such a dignified man even after 27 years of pain and hurt .

[nokando]

An emotional day. Clouds have lifted after 27 years.

At the end of the storm there's a golden sky... Has never been so prophetic.

YNWA

[Redman0151]

Nothing but admiration and respect for those that spent 27 years fighting for the truth and justice. An emotional day for all of Merseyside, they did the city proud

[1892tillforever]

Anne was absolutely amazing. I can't even imagine how much strength it must have taken to do what she did for all those years. Truly remarkable.

She was (and is) the very definition of hero.

It took far too long but it finally happened.

[Fiasco]

I honestly don't have the words. 27 years, over a quarter of a century, fighting each day for the truth. And finally, it's here.



YNWA.

[Dougle]

I am sitting here at home keeping an eye on my kids, in tears. I have no personal connection with anyone directly affected by this avoidable slaughter and all the subsequent suffering. My heart goes out to you all, all those people ... fathers, mothers, siblings, friends and relatives. I know this is a day that is long long overdue ... too little in the face of what people have gone through. God bless you all.

[Texas Reds Fan]

JFT96.

[Passmaster Molby]

Brilliant news, justice at last.

To the families and survivors of that day - YOU epitomise the very meaning of human spirit. Courage, fight, heart, determination, belief and an iron will are all used to describe you truly remarkable people. For me though, the best word to describe you is Inspirational. Never, ever give up fighting for what you believe in and I am so, so happy that you have got what was deserved so long ago.

You climbed the hill in your own way - YNWA.

[dirkster]

I should be feeling an overwhelming sense of relief at the verdict, but all I feel right now is anger. Anger that it has taken this long for the truth to come out. Anger at the establishment cover up and utter lies that were told throughout all this time.  I know the anger will subside, but right now I'm just tearful with rage and cannot begin to imagine what all those directly involved have gone through. 

[mersey_paradiso]

Dan ‏@dgtbc  38m38 minutes ago

There is absolutely nothing on the FA website about today's verdicts. Silence is deafening. #JFT96

EDIT : there is now ... http://www.thefa.com/news/thefa/2016/apr/fa-statement-hillsborough

The FA reaffirms its deep sorrow and regret that these tragic events, which occurred at one of its fixtures, led to the loss of life of 96 football supporters on 15 April 1989.

The FA’s sincere condolences remain with the families and friends of the victims.

They have conducted themselves with great dignity throughout these Inquests, during which there has been an exhaustive investigation of the horrific circumstances that took place 27 years ago.

Ultimately, the Inquests stand as testament to the struggle undertaken by the families so the truth might be brought to light.

While much has changed since 1989, The FA and English football in general must continue to recognise, remember and learn from the tragedy. In looking forward, it is important we never forget.

Given the ongoing criminal investigations, there are limitations to what we can say. It is in the interests of all concerned that further consideration of the disaster by the relevant authorities must be allowed to take its course.

[electricghost]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/4mks9Cij2Xc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/4mks9Cij2Xc</a>

[Zeb]

Dan ‏@dgtbc  38m38 minutes ago

There is absolutely nothing on the FA website about today's verdicts. Silence is deafening. #JFT96

There is now.

The FA reaffirms its deep sorrow and regret that these tragic events, which occurred at one of its fixtures, led to the loss of life of 96 football supporters on 15 April 1989.

The FA’s sincere condolences remain with the families and friends of the victims.

They have conducted themselves with great dignity throughout these Inquests, during which there has been an exhaustive investigation of the horrific circumstances that took place 27 years ago.

Ultimately, the Inquests stand as testament to the struggle undertaken by the families so the truth might be brought to light.

While much has changed since 1989, The FA and English football in general must continue to recognise, remember and learn from the tragedy. In looking forward, it is important we never forget.

Given the ongoing criminal investigations, there are limitations to what we can say. It is in the interests of all concerned that further consideration of the disaster by the relevant authorities must be allowed to take its course.


Read more at http://www.thefa.com/news/thefa/2016/apr/fa-statement-hillsborough#e8ZCrwfHcg1cSXtf.99

[mersey_paradiso]

There is now.

yeah , I edited it just now.

[Igor Tripod Biscan]

Good on the brief for the families group- asking if there were any scum journos at the press conference (or undercover plod)

[paulrazor]

Good on the brief for the families group- asking if there were any scum journos at the press conference (or undercover plod)

Trevor Hicks im sure did that a few years back too

he is right

[the good half]

Ever since I first saw an dheard Margaret Aspinall; I felt like I just wanted to hug her.
She reminds me of my aunt; and I guess a lot of folk on here have similar connections too.

God bless her.

[Nessy76]

I should be feeling an overwhelming sense of relief at the verdict, but all I feel right now is anger. Anger that it has taken this long for the truth to come out. Anger at the establishment cover up and utter lies that were told throughout all this time.  I know the anger will subside, but right now I'm just tearful with rage and cannot begin to imagine what all those directly involved have gone through.

Whatever you are feeling is what you should be feeling. There's so much to take in, I don't think anyone knows exactly how to feel, how to respond.

[mersey_paradiso]

Good on the brief for the families group- asking if there were any scum journos at the press conference (or undercover plod)

And taking the piss out of Duckenfield and co's lawyer , the vile John Beggs QC , asking "Where is he today ? Has anyone seen him ?" , and calling him out for his dirty tricks campaign.

[No666]

Andy Burnham with good points in the Echo:
“And what a great credit it was to the Liverpool supporters that all the video evidence told the opposite story to that put forward by the police. It showed how good-natured they were, how calm they were and how heroic they were once the disaster unfolded.”

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/justice-last-andy-burnham-reveals-11243915

[Trada]

A spot on Tweet,

Stephen McGann ‏@StephenMcGann

One terrible warning from Hillsborough. If a nation can tell a 27 year lie at a match crowded with witnesses, no citizen is safe.

[Desert Red Fox]

Tears in my eyes right now. Margaret Aspinall, the families of the survivors, and the survivors themselves are some of the strongest people I'll ever read about.

This one's for you, my friends. Justice for the 96.

[terrible suits]

Simply overwhelmed by emotion for everyone.

I've only been following Liverpool for around 6 years, and I'm an ocean away.
Still, one does not come to follow Liverpool without at least understanding what had happened in 1989, and what had happened since then.

To finally come to this point, after 27 years of commitment and dedication by so many...
The real truth is finally know to all - Justice for the 96.

When Liverpool supporters say You'll Never Walk Alone, they really mean it.

Continued thoughts and prayers to all.
You'll Never Walk Alone.

[mersey_paradiso]

David Conn getting a round of applause from the families and deservedly so .

[KillieRed]

Tears in my eyes, and a lump in my throat. I hope my work colleague doesn't come back, so I have to explain...she`ll just think "bloody football"?

It`s not that though, is it?

[mersey_paradiso]

David Conn from the Guardian gets a round of applause from families as he asks a question.

He asks about the scale of the false narrative they faced and the impact of that.

Trevor says: “It started in the gymnasium.”

He says it was quite clear when they were asked several times what they had had to drink.

He says, “when I said coffee and coke then they looked at you like you were lying.”

Margaret says there was no video footage of fans carrying alcohol.

She says the families ended up having to find money to defend themselves.

She says the emergency services had their barristers paid for.

She says “These things have got to change.”

She said the first coroner added insult to injury by asking for £3 for a death certificate.

She says police barristers were paid for a third time to come out with the same lies.

[mersey_paradiso]

The families are asked what they would like to see happen next.

Margaret says she thinks everyone knows.

She says she will leave it in the hands of the CPS and lawyers.

Jenni says she would like to see Op Resolve take the opportunity to move this on to accountability.

Michael Mansfield says: “We are looking for accountability.”

He says there are also issues which weren’t covered in the inquests.

He says the cover up is a subsequent matter which needs to be investigated and is being investigated.

He says: “The system has let the families down for too long and it has to stop now.”

Trevor says he is disgusted that some of the issues has been raised at the inquests, when the panel report had put them to bed.

He says the police case was non existent so they dredged up the same old sludge.

[mersey_paradiso]

Mr Mansfield says before the inquests there were apologies from South Yorkshire Police.

He says that wasn’t reflected in the inquests process.

He says when the last inquests were quashed the judge said: “The tendency to blame the fans was disappointingly tenacious.”

He says “it’s not just disappointing, it is,we think, thoroughly irresponsible.”

[mersey_paradiso]

Asked about today’s results, he says: I think it is one of the most historic and majestic victories.”

Trevor says the people of Sheffield were wonderful on the day and many bobbies were.

He says there were two disasters - the one on the day and the absolutely preventable one which followed.

He says: “ We have been faced with slander upon slander, insult upon insult and it’s all been absolutely unnecessary.”

[mersey_paradiso]

Karen Hankin thanks her legal team for giving her a voice she though she’d never be able to use again.

Karen Hankin - “to the people of liverpool who supported us all the way, I thank you - we never walked alone.”

Thanks given to witnesses and survivors for coming forward and reliving the terrible day in court to get justice.

Steve Wright, who lost brother Graham, says Duckenfield was culpable.

Steve Wright - “the jury have seen through the lies and smears”

Steve Kelly, who lost his brother Michael, says blame is wider than Duckenfield.