Image Credit: David Cannon / Getty Images
A jury has concluded that the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed, bringing an end to a 27-year campaign by the victims’ families and their supporters.
The tragedy occurred during Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final against Norwich at Hillsborough Stadium, with a huge stadium crush resulting in 96 deaths and 766 injuries. While it had been stated in an official 1990 inquiry that the crush was due to a lack of police control, authorities attempted to smear the Liverpool supporters involved in the tragedy. This led to a now-infamous front page story from The Sun, which wrongfully claimed that fans had “urinated” on police officers and “beat up PCs giving the kiss of life” to those who had been involved in the crush. The tabloid’s then-editor Kelvin MacKenzie would later claim he was following the guidance of a Tory MP and Police Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who has today been found guilty of “manslaughter by gross negligence.”
Duckenfield was the officer in charge of supervising the match, and he has therefore been handed the brunt of the punishment. According to the jury’s conclusion, errors made on behalf of the police resulted in a dangerous situation at Hillsborough’s turnstiles, while failures by commanding offers caused the crush that resulted in 96 deaths. The jury also ruled Sheffield Wednesday made mistakes that contributed to the tragedy, with the club failing to request a delay in kick off despite them being aware of the high number of fans crowded inside the stadium.
Relatives of the Hillsborough victims tearfully celebrated following the jury’s ruling. (Image Credit: Dave Thompson / Getty Images)
Seven jurors ruled in favour of the deaths having been as a result of police error, with all but three of those who died as a result of the crush having their cause of death listed by doctors as compression asphyxia. Tony Bland was the last victim of the tragedy, having passed away in 1993 after being left brain damaged.
The jury’s ruling resulted in leading to the assembled family and friends of those who lost their lives at Hillsborough cheering and celebrating outside the court. Though it took nearly three decades for them to achieve justice for their lost loved ones, as a chorus of Liverpool anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” erupted following the landmark trial, it’s clear that those who were left mourning in the wake of the tragedy felt that those whose lives had been ended prematurely as a result of police error had finally received their retribution.
