The inquest into the Hillsborough stadium disaster finds that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed.
Lawyers representing the families say the Hillsborough Inquest ruling has vindicated a 27 year fight for justice. After hearing two years of evidence, the jury concluded today that all 96 people who died in the disaster of April 1989 were unlawfully killed.
On 15 April 1989, 96 people were killed when fans were crushed at the football stadium in Sheffield during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
A jury made up of six men and six women was tasked with answering fourteen yes or no questions. They found that errors in police planning and response caused or contributed to the circumstances that unfolded on the day. The jury also ruled that the behaviour of supporters did not cause or contribute to the tragedy.
The jury concluded that the 96 people who died were unlawfully killed.
The jury concluded that the match commander, Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, owed a duty of care to the 96 victims, breached that duty, and that his actions amounted to gross negligence resulting in their deaths.
Outside the coroner's court in Warrington, families of the victims spoke of their sense of vindication. Holding a photograph of her son, Keith McGrath, Mary Corrigan said the families had waited 27 years for justice and for the truth to be acknowledged. Trevor Hicks, whose daughters Sarah and Vicki died in the disaster, described the long wait for justice as a disgrace. Karen Hankin, whose husband Eric was among those who died, addressed the families, saying,
The injustice dealt to us is an injustice to all. The callous disregard for the dead, the survivors, the families and our city as a whole.
South Yorkshire Police said it accepted the findings of the inquest. Chief Constable David Crompton acknowledged that the force had got the policing of the match catastrophically wrong, failing both the victims and their families.
The Crown Prosecution Service will now consider whether any criminal charges should be brought.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 26 April 2016. The reporter is Sinead Morris.
Andrew Devine died in 2021 as a result of his injuries in the disaster, making him the 97th fatality in the disaster.
