Inquests into the death of 96 fans who died as a result of a crush in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has revealed they were unlawfully killed, bringing justice to families after years of fighting.
The fans died as a result of crush injuries at the stadium which, until now, has been blamed on the behaviour of Liverpool fans. The deaths resulted in Britain’s worst sporting disaster.
But the jury at the inquest in Warrington instead found that match commander Ch Supt David Duckenfield was “responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence” due to a breach of his duty of care.
Police errors also added to a dangerous situation at the match, an FA Cup semi-final.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the inquests had provided “official confirmation” that football fans were “utterly blameless”.
When the conclusion of the unlawful killing was revealed, families were seen hugging each other in the public gallery and some punched the air. Afterwards families stood outside the court and sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
