Hillsborough disaster

Hillsborough disaster
The Leppings Lane end inside Hillsborough Stadium during the disaster (goalposts centre)
Hillsborough disaster is located in Sheffield
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium
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Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield
Date15 April 1989; 35 years ago (1989-04-15)
Time14:00–16:10 GMT
VenueHillsborough Stadium
LocationSheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Coordinates53°24′41″N 1°30′06″W / 53.4115°N 1.5016°W / 53.4115; -1.5016
TypeHuman crush
CauseOvercrowding in central pens of stand
Deaths97
Non-fatal injuries766
Inquiries
Inquest

The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal crowd crush at a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the two standing-only central pens within the Leppings Lane stand allocated to Liverpool supporters. Shortly before kick-off, police match commander David Duckenfield ordered exit gate C to be opened in an attempt to ease crowding, which led to an influx of supporters entering the pens.[1] This resulted in overcrowding of those pens and the fatal crush; with a total of 97 fatalities and 766 injuries, the disaster is the deadliest in British sporting history.[2] Ninety-four people died on the day; one more died in hospital days later, another in 1993, and in 2021, a 97th who had suffered irreversible brain damage on the day.[3] The match was abandoned and restaged at Old Trafford in Manchester on 7 May 1989; Liverpool won and went on to win that season's FA Cup.

In the following days and weeks, South Yorkshire Police (SYP) fed the press false stories suggesting that football hooliganism and drunkenness by Liverpool supporters had caused the disaster. Blaming Liverpool fans persisted even after the Taylor Report of 1990, which found that the main cause was a failure of crowd control by SYP.[4] Following the Taylor Report, the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled there was no evidence to justify prosecution of any individuals or institutions.[4] The disaster led to a number of safety improvements in the largest English football grounds, notably the elimination of fenced standing terraces in favour of all-seater stadiums in the top two tiers of English football.[5][6]

The first coroner's inquests into the Hillsborough disaster, completed in 1991, concluded with verdicts of "accidental death" in respect of all the deceased.[7] Families disputed the findings,[4] and fought to have the case re-opened. In 1997 Lord Justice Stuart-Smith concluded that there was no justification for a new inquiry.[4] Private prosecutions brought by the Hillsborough Family Support Group against Duckenfield and his deputy Bernard Murray failed in 2000.[4] In 2009 a Hillsborough Independent Panel was formed to review the evidence.[4][8] Reporting in 2012, it confirmed Taylor's 1990 criticisms and revealed details about the extent of police efforts to shift blame onto fans, the role of other emergency services and the error of the first coroner's inquests.[9][10][11] The panel's report resulted in the previous findings of accidental death being quashed, and the creation of new coroner's inquests. It also produced two criminal investigations led by police in 2012: Operation Resolve to look into the causes of the disaster, and by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to examine actions by police in the aftermath.[12]

The second coroner's inquests were held from 1 April 2014 to 26 April 2016.[13] They ruled that the supporters were unlawfully killed owing to grossly negligent failures by police and ambulance services to fulfil their duty of care.[1][4] The inquests also found that the design of the stadium contributed to the crush, and that supporters were not to blame for the dangerous conditions.[13] Public anger over the actions of their force during the second inquests led to the suspension of the SYP chief constable, David Crompton, following the verdict.[14] In June 2017, six people were charged with offences including manslaughter by gross negligence, misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice for their actions during and after the disaster. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently dropped all charges against one of the defendants.[15]

  1. ^ a b Turner, Richard (28 April 2016). "Five Hillsborough myths dispelled by inquests jury". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Hillsborough: Timeline of the 1989 stadium disaster". BBC News. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ Conn, David; Vinter, Robyn (28 July 2021). "Liverpool fan's death ruled as 97th of Hillsborough disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Hillsborough Disaster: From tragedy to truth". BBC News. Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  5. ^ Rumsby, Ben (26 April 2016). "The legacy of Hillsborough – how football has changed". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  6. ^ Gibson, Owen (13 April 2009). "Out of the ashes of Hillsborough, modern football was born". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  7. ^ Gibson, Owen (19 December 2012). "High court quashes Hillsborough inquest verdicts". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  8. ^ Conn, David (17 April 2009). "Not 'justice' but full truth may finally be possible for Hillsborough victims". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Hillsborough papers: Cameron apology over 'double injustice'". BBC News. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  10. ^ Gibson, Owen; Conn, David; Siddique, Haroon (12 September 2012). "Hillsborough disaster: David Cameron apologises for 'double injustice'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  11. ^ "Hillsborough report: Key findings". BBC News. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Hillsborough – the investigation". ipcc.gov.uk. Independent Police Complaints Commission. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  13. ^ a b Conn, David (26 April 2016). "Hillsborough inquests jury rules 96 victims were unlawfully killed". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  14. ^ Dodd, Vikram; Stewart, Heather (27 April 2016). "South Yorkshire police chief suspended after Hillsborough verdict". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  15. ^ Conn, David (21 October 2021). "The great betrayal: how the Hillsborough families were failed by the justice system". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2021.