Rest In Eternal Peace to the ’96! YNWA!

Twenty-seven years ago, on 15 April 1989, ninety-six children, men and women lost their lives at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium.

Investigations into the disaster followed with many fans showing that their ticket for the semi-final hadn’t even been checked – still in it’s full tact. It was obvious that someone had opened too many gates at the Leppings Lane end, letting fans stream into an already full to capacity area surrounded by fencing meaning an overflow of fans were inside the enclosed area.

Following a tireless campaign led by bereaved families and survivors, in 2012 the High Court quashed the original accidental death verdicts and ordered new inquests.

The Hillsborough inquests commenced on 1 April 2014. At the beginning of these proceedings, the families were asked to write Pen Portraits in memory of lost loved ones, which they then read out in court.

On 26 April 2016, The jury at the inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool supporters at an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough on 15 April 1989 ruled that they were unlawfully killed.

The jury also found that the behaviour of the fans did not cause or contribute to the disaster.
The coroner, John Goldring, yesterday instructed the jury of six women and three men that he would accept a majority decision of 8-1 or 7-2 on the key issue of unlawful killing after the forewoman declared that they had reached a unanimous decision on the other 13 questions relating to how the 96 died.

The jury came to their conclusions having deliberated on issues in relation to police planning before the game, stadium safety and the emergency services’ response to the unfolding disaster but the key question for family members was always whether or not the 96 fans were unlawfully killed.

After sitting since 1 April 2014, the jury was finally sent out on 6 April this year to make it the longest running jury case in British legal history.

You’ll Never Walk Alone – 25th Anniversary of Hillsborough: https://youtu.be/HoqSlmyFMeU