But he remains a liar whose claims caused hurt, anger and despair. More than 2,000 fans then entered through exit gate C, with many heading for the tunnel ahead of them, which led to the central pens of the terrace where the crush happened. 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 jury was shown pictures of fans in the Leppings Lane end of the stadium as the disaster unfolded, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. ", Hillsborough inquests: What you need to know, 14 questions the Hillsborough jury answered, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. There were gasps in court as the seven women and three men on the jury returned the verdict, following 13 hours and 43 minutes of discussions. But despite it finding that police evidence to the Taylor inquiry had been doctored, home secretary Jack Straw rules out a new inquiry. ACC Jackson was alongside Duckenfield within minutes of the match being stopped. because Duckenfield was acquitted in 2019 of a charge of gross negligence manslaughter, . In the eyes of the law Duckenfield is an innocent man. It was even more dispiriting to hear the defence barrister, Benjamin Myers QC, recycle all the rancid myths that grew out of Duckenfields dissembling: that fans turned up late, alcohol was a factor and supporters ignored police instructions. 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. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Despite having a greater following than Nottingham Forest, Liverpools supporters were allocated the smaller end of the stadium, Leppings Lane, so that their route would not bring them into contact with Forest fans arriving from the south. He said himself, in Warrington, he considered his words to then FA Chief Executive Graham Kelly a lie. Mr Duckenfield said that, in the pressure of the day, he froze and did not consider the consequences of his actions. High Court judge Lord Goldring chairs the new inquests in Warrington, which last more than two years and becomes the longest jury case in British legal history. Read about our approach to external linking. It has dashed their hopes repeatedly over the years. Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie apologises for the papers 1989 front page. "With all due respect, my lord, 96 people were found unlawfully killed to a criminal standard," she said. "Everybody knew the truth, the fans and police knew the truth that we'd opened the gates," he said. Even while the dead and dying were lying on the pitch, barely attended to by the emergency services, Duckenfield was throwing the blame and trying to avoid the responsibility for a decision that caused the carnage. His lawyers argued those errors were accepted only in hindsight, and through the fight put up to try and stop him being prosecuted it was clear that, by the time he uttered not guilty at his manslaughter plea hearing in September 2018, he did not think those failings were so bad they were criminal. They live with the misery every day. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. At the same hearing he admitted a cocktail of errors, ultimately telling his own barrister he accepted his professional failings led to the tragic crush. The farriers prosecution for perverting the course of justice is found not to be in the public interest and there is insufficient evidence against the police officer. It leads to a new criminal inquiry into the disaster and an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Many of the bereaved family members, including mothers whose children were killed in the disaster, were crying as Duckenfield spoke. Attempting to explain his words in Warrington, he said: I was probably deeply ashamed, embarrassed, greatly distressed and I probably didnt want to admit to myself or anyone else, what the situation is.". The Hillsborough Family Support Group mounts a private prosecution of Duckenfield and his deputy, superintendentBernard Murray, for manslaughter. 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. HILLSBOROUGH DISASTER- DAVID DUCKENFIELD FOUND NOT GUILTY, David Duckenfield was in charge the day 96 Liverpool fans were killed at Hillsborough, David Duckenfield has been cleared of gross negligence manslaughter, Hillsborough football ground shown to the inquests, Police and fans on the pitch at Hillsborough football stadium in Sheffield on April 15 1989, The disaster claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans. Former Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield at Preston Crown court. The inquest jury concludes that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool fans behaviour did not contribute to the crush. Christine, whose father Henry Burke was killed in the disaster, addressed the judge after the verdict was read out. A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the verdict did not affect the findings of the Hillsborough inquests, which ruled the victims had been unlawfully killed. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The most exhaustive and longest inquest in British history was dismissed as not being pertinent. But then two years ago I had to force myself to look at matters and, as a result, I could only do so with the assistance of doctors. erath county rant and rave; springfield, mo jail inmates; essex county hospital center jobs; blanching vs non blanching erythema; star trek next generation cast salaries Barry Devonside, whose son Christopher, 18, died in the disaster, said: "I'm shocked and stunned by the verdict of the jury. More than 2,000 fans entered through exit gate C once it was opened and many headed for the tunnel ahead of them, which led to the central pens where the crush happened. 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. There were shouts in the room as the verdict was announced. Wed 1 Mar 2023 12.40 . He had no experience managing soccer matches, let alone an FA Cup semi-final. Judge Sir Peter Openshaw rejects a defence application to ban reporting on the Hillsborough trial until the jury delivers its verdict. The court was played audio of the retired chief superintendent giving evidence to inquests in 2015. David Duckenfield can finally rest easily. He was fined 6,500 and ordered to pay 5,000. Recipe: Ayurvedic Jewish penicillin by Dr Rupy Aujla, Sunaks Brexit deal explained in five points, Messi vs. Ronaldo: all-time goals and statistics. lifts the historic stay of further prosecution on Mr Duckenfield, fails to reach a verdict on the charges against Mr Duckenfield. Bereaved families are angered that the inquests cannot consider the emergency response after that point, and an accidental death verdict is returned on 26 March 1991. Because any time you or your loved ones attend a public event it should be with the knowledge that the people responsible for maintaining order and safety will be competent. "I hid myself away and could not bear the word Hillsborough", he said. " Yet this was not a doddery septuagenarian being persecuted inappropriately for actions long buried in the past. The finding undermines the decision made by the coroner in the first inquests to limit their scope to events before 3.15pm, and not consider the chaotic medical response after that point. The inquest jury finds that Hillsboroughs 96 victims were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool fans were not responsible for the disaster. Relatives and friends of the victims were gathered at the Cunard Building on Liverpool's waterfront when the verdict was announced. Jury fails to reach a verdict on the charges against Mr Duckenfield, but convicts Mr Mackrell of a health and safety offence. Match commander tells inquest that watching a documentary made him realise the effect the disaster had on the bereaved families. Liverpool FC said it shared "the reactions and frustrations by the families today and those affected by the Hillsborough tragedy". Following the broadcast of a television dramatisation of the Hillsborough disaster, the Home Offices Operational Policing Policy Unit writes to Michael Howard, then home secretary, saying it raises the suggestion that some of the victims were still alive at 3.30pm. "We firmly believe that we have done everything in our power to do right by our Steven and we walk away from this case with our dignity and our heads held high.". The story prompts a boycott of the paper on Merseyside, still upheld by many today. There will be a service at the Anglican cathedral, and a minutes silence will be observed at 3.06pm the moment the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was stopped as the scale of the disaster became apparent. Those systems failed on 15 April, 1989, and no one will ever take responsibility for that failure. The jury did, however, reach a majority verdict to convict Graham Mackrell, Sheffield Wednesdays then-secretary and safety officer, of failing to take reasonable care of Liverpool supporters safety, by allocating only seven turnstiles for the 10,100 people. 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. Mr Mackrell is fined 6,500 for the offence, sparking outrage from victims relatives who called the penalty shameful. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Latest trial follows two sets of inquests, private prosecutions and civil proceedings over the disaster, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. David Duckenfield is not a criminal, a jury has decided. A jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of David Duckenfield, the former South Yorkshire police chief superintendent and match commander on the day of the Hillsborough disaster. asked if this was a "ploy" and a step to "sever the link between the opening of the gate and what . 2023 BBC. Sue Hemming, the CPS director of legal services, reacts to the decision by issuing a scathing statement. "I am really angry but I am trying be calm for these families who have suffered," she said. But the jury accepted the defence case that the 75-year-old was a target of blame who was unfairly singled out for prosecution. A handwritten note apparently written by Tony Blair, asks why? Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans in the 1989 disaster. South Yorkshire coroner Dr Stefan Popper begins the inquest process into the deaths, but only considers events up until 3.15pm on the day of the disaster, nine minutes after the match was stopped, so the role of the emergency services after the disaster does not come under scrutiny. "We say that is unfair, there are so many other people at fault, and so many causes," the barrister added. They were even more appalled when Openshaw called the defendant a poor chap after Duckenfield was forced to go to hospital with a suspected chest infection. Sergeant Michael Goddard, who was in the police control box, told the trial the request was not unusual, 2.30pm: Duckenfield raises the size of the crowd outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles and asks ground commander, Supt Bernard Murray, whether those fans will be in the ground for the 3pm kick-off. Up to 41 of the dead might have survived had they been given oxygen. The passage of 30 years has presented challenges for everyone involved in the legal process, prosecution and defence. Lord Justice Peter Taylors interim report into the tragedy puts the blame on South Yorkshire Police. For the sake of the 96 innocent people who died 30 years ago, something like this should never happen again.. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. David Conn. They applied to have the case against them dismissed after a month of evidence in a trial that had been awaited for decades by the victims families. Christine Burke tearfully spoke from the gallery after the verdict was delivered and said that the 96 were unlawfully killed and she wants to know who is responsible, reports the Liverpool Echo. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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. Expert policing witness Douglas Hopkins said this was a potential warning sign. It is right that an impartial and thorough investigation was carried out, and it is right that a jury was asked to make a judgement of the facts. Covid cut it short. A judge lifts the historic stay of further prosecution on Mr Duckenfield, allowing new proceedings to go ahead. But ultimately the buck stops with me., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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". In 2015 at the Hillsborough Inquests he accepted that this was the direct cause of the 96 deaths. The FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest ends in tragedy as a crush at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesdays Hillsborough stadium leads to the death of 96 Liverpool fans, with more than 750 people injured. The Crown Prosecution Service announces that six people are to be charged with offences in relation to the disaster Mr Duckenfield is charged with manslaughter and former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell for health and safety offences. He had originally been accused of the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 Liverpool fans, but denied all the charges. David Duckenfield had been appointed Chief Superintendent of the South Yorkshire Police just 19 days before the disaster. The matchday commander at Hillsborough was found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter charges pertaining to his role in the football disaster 30 years ago. "I would like to know who is responsible for my father's death because someone is.". He also admitted to a "terrible lie". About 45 family members watched the verdict from the Cunard building in Liverpool, where the trial was screened. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The new Labour governments home secretary, Jack Straw, notes the discussions but said public concern will not be allayed by a reassurance from the Home Office that there is no new evidence and proposes an independent review. A second juror is discharged on 19 November after suffering a bereavement, leaving a jury of seven women and three men to decide the case. "I would like to know who is responsible for my father's death because someone is.". 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. 27 febrero, 2023 . Thirty years later he remained a man who sought, via his lawyers, to do the same thing. 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 also rejects a prosecution application to prevent tweeting from court, sharing articles on social media or embedding video into news articles. 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