Liverpool Fans Get Justice 27 Years On

The Hillsborough disaster caused the deaths of 96 people and injury to 766 other fans, at a football match held on the 15^th April 1989.

The ninety-six football fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed, the inquests have concluded today. The 1989 Hillsborough tragedy claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool FC fans. Since that day families and survivors have fought to discover the truth about what happened that day. On September 12 2012, the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel were published and three months later the accidental death verdicts given initially in 1991, were quashed at the High Court paving way for the fresh inquests, that were held in Warrington.

The jury found match commander Chief Superintendent 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 FA Cup semi-final. The prime minister said the inquests had provided "official confirmation" fans were "utterly blameless".

After a 27-year campaign by the victims' families, the behaviour of Liverpool fans was exonerated.

The jury found they did not contribute to the danger unfolding at the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday's ground.

Nine jurors reached unanimous decisions on all but one of the 14 questions at the inquests into Britain's worst sporting disaster. The coroner Sir John Goldring said he would accept a majority decision about whether the fans were unlawfully killed - seven jurors agreed they were. When the conclusion of the unlawful killing was revealed, families were seen hugging each other in the public gallery and some punched the air.

Photo credit:Reuters and Liverpool Echo

Source: BBC