Fury among families after senior Hillsborough officers absolved by police watchdog
A 12-year investigation into the Hillsborough disaster by the police watchdog has concluded that no senior South Yorkshire police officers were guilty of misconduct for falsely blaming misbehaviour by Liverpool supporters.
That police case was wholly rejected in 2016 by the jury at the second inquest, who determined that no behaviour of Liverpool supporters contributed to the disaster, which happened on 15 April 1989 at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium.
The jury found that the 97 people who died due to a crush on the Leppings Lane terraces were unlawfully killed, as a result of gross negligence manslaughter by the police officer in command, Ch Supt David Duckenfield.
Bereaved families of the 97 and survivors have fought a decades-long campaign for the truth and accountability, and have always protested that the South Yorkshire police mounted a false case to minimise its culpability, and blame the victims.
The conclusion of the investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which started in 2012, has coincided with delays to the government's promised 'Hillsborough law', which would impose a duty of candour on police and public officials, for which families have also long campaigned.
Louise Brookes, whose brother Andrew, 26, was one of the 97 people killed, said she was 'livid' at the IOPC's conclusions. She said that in 2021, South Yorkshire police and West Midlands police, which was brought in after the disaster to investigate, agreed a settlement with families and survivors for misfeasance in a public office, based on a claim that the forces perpetrated a cover-up.
'It feels like a cover-up of a cover-up,' Brookes said.
In a letter notifying bereaved families of its findings, the IOPC did find Duckenfield and three other senior officers culpable of gross misconduct for failures at the semi-final. Duckenfield was also found to have committed gross misconduct for the lie he told at 3.15pm as people were dying, falsely telling his senior officer, the assistant chief constable Walter Jackson, and football officials that Liverpool supporters had forced open an exit gate.
In fact Duckenfield had himself ordered the gate to be opened, to relieve a crush outside the Leppings Lane end turnstiles. After an independent police investigation for the IOPC termed Operation Resolve, 11 separate elements of gross misconduct by Duckenfield were found, including for ordering the opening of the gate, and failing to safely direct the people who came through it.
Duckenfield did not order the closure of a tunnel leading to crowded central 'pens' on the terrace, and the lethal crush developed after people who came through the exit gate went into those pens, rather than to the sides.
Jackson was found culpable of gross misconduct for failures of planning and his response to the disaster; the former superintendent Roger Marshall for crowd management outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles and for asking Duckenfield to open the exit gate; and gross misconduct was also found by the former superintendent Bernard Murray, Duckenfield's second-in-command in the police control room.
Duckenfield was prosecuted for gross negligence manslaughter after the inquest verdict; he was acquitted in 2019.
The IOPC said in the letter it had found no case to answer against any senior South Yorkshire police officers who were investigated for whether they gave inaccurate, false or deliberately misleading evidence or 'irrelevant criticism of fans' behaviour' after the disaster.
Senior officers were also cleared over the instruction given to officers not to write their accounts of the day in their official police notebooks, and a subsequent process of amending the accounts made by officers. One officer, the former detective chief inspector Alan Foster, was found culpable of gross misconduct, after an investigation into whether senior officers put 'undue pressure' on some other officers who refused to make alterations to their original accounts.
A complaint was upheld against one officer on duty in the control box, the former police constable Trevor Bichard. He was found to have deleted from the evidence provided to the 1989 inquiry by Lord Justice Taylor a log entry which recorded that at 2:55pm an officer had requested the tunnel leading to the central pens be closed. Mervyn Jones, the then assistant chief constable of West Midlands police, was also found culpable of gross misconduct for instructing the deletion of 'policy files', and retaining policy books 'in his personal possession' after he retired.
No officers will face misconduct proceedings, the IOPC has previously said, because they have all retired. The findings against officers, which include dozens more individual complaints currently being notified to families, are opinions of the IOPC.
The IOPC has explained of its findings: 'Like the [2012] Hillsborough Independent Panel report and the inquests, we found no evidence to support police accounts to the media, the Taylor inquiry and both sets of inquests, which suggested that the behaviour of supporters caused or in any way contributed to the disaster.'
However in a letter to families last month, the watchdog said that while South Yorkshire police did seek to 'deflect the blame from themselves', with no duty of candour required the force 'was entitled, within the law at the time, to present its 'best case' and be selective with the evidence it presented'.
Keir Starmer promised at Labour's conference in Liverpool in September to introduce the Hillsborough law by this month's 36th anniversary of the disaster, but the deadline will be missed, as families have argued that the proposals do not deliver the required duty of candour. Starmer cancelled a visit to Liverpool last week where he was due to announce the new law to families.
Charlotte Hennessy, who was six when her father, Jimmy, 29, was unlawfully killed at Hillsborough, said she was 'frustrated and very disappointed' after learning of the delay.
'In my opinion, the prime minister has used the deaths of the 97, their anniversary and the Hillsborough law, to gain himself votes,' she said.
'There just seems to be this continual pattern, where he says things and then he takes them back. And to do that on the back of a Hillsborough anniversary – I'm appalled by it.'
Starmer's spokesperson said: 'We remain fully committed to bringing in a Hillsborough law which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply. We're working on the bill at pace, and we'll set out next steps shortly.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Woman who crashed into primary school suffered seizure, court hears
A woman who crashed a car through the wall of a primary school suffered a seizure at the wheel, a court has heard. Joanna Murray, 41, admitted dangerous driving after the collision on April 22 last year, which saw her white Mercedes crash into The Beacon Primary School in Everton, Liverpool, at 8.30am, shortly before the school was due to open. At Sefton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, District Judge Paul Healey accepted a basis of plea in which Murray said she could not remember the collision but later discovered she had a seizure. In the basis, she said she had been driving her son to school. She said she was on medication for seizures but, at the time, had not suffered one for two years. She accepted she had not disclosed her medical condition to the DVLA. Murray, of Queens Drive, Liverpool, was due to stand trial on Tuesday for failing to provide a specimen but the case was adjourned to December 9 as a witness was unable to attend. The judge said the collision caused 'catastrophic damage', but added: 'Thankfully no-one was injured.' The defendant, who was in tears during much of the hearing, was granted unconditional bail.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Woman who crashed into school had suffered seizure, court hears
A woman who crashed a car through the wall of a primary school had suffered a seizure at the wheel, a court has Murray, 41, admitted dangerous driving after the crash on 22 April last year, which saw her white Mercedes crash into The Beacon Primary School in Everton, Liverpool, at 08.30 BST, shortly before the school was due to Sefton Magistrates' Court, District Judge Paul Healey accepted a basis of plea in which Murray said she could not remember the incident but later discovered she had had a said she had been driving her son to school. She said she was on medication but at the time had not suffered such an episode for two years. She accepted she had not disclosed her medical condition to the of Queens Drive, Liverpool, was due to stand trial for failing to provide a specimen but the case was adjourned to 9 December as a witness was unable to judge said the crash caused "catastrophic damage", but added: "Thankfully no-one was injured."The defendant, who was in tears during much of the hearing, was granted unconditional bail. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Father of kickboxer, 15, breaks down in tears at inquest as he reveals how 'beautiful son' suddenly collapsed moments after unsanctioned fight and died three days later
A tearful father told an inquest how his 15-year-old 'beautiful son' suddenly collapsed after an unsanctioned kickboxing match. Stephen Eastwood, 40, from Liverpool, said he stayed with his son Alex Eastwood at his hospital bedside until he passed away three days after the fatal bout. He told Bolton Coroner's Court: 'I would just like people to remember him as a wonderful, beautiful son. He was just a lovely, lovely boy. He was a beautiful soul.' Alex collapsed after the third and final round of a 'light contact' kickboxing bout in a ring at a gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan on June 29, 2024. He was rushed to hospital but had suffered a serious head injury. Unusually, Michael Pemberton, assistant coroner for Manchester (West), ahead of Alex's inquest, which started on Monday, has already raised concerns with the government in March this year about the safety of children in combat sports. Alex took up kickboxing aged nine, trained five times a week at Hurricane Combat and Fitness club in Fazakerley, Liverpool and had a 'meteoric' rise in the sport, having competed at high levels. He had grown to 6ft 7ins, weighed 80kg and had just finished his GCSEs the week before the fight was arranged with another opponent at the gym in Wigan. A tearful father told an inquest how his 15-year-old 'beautiful son' suddenly collapsed after an unsanctioned kickboxing match. Stephen Eastwood, 40, from Liverpool, said he stayed with his son Alex Eastwood (pictured) at his hospital bedside until he passed away three days after the fatal bout The bout was to be the 'main event' but was an unofficial or unsanctioned event as it was a charity fundraiser, not a bout to win a title under the main governing body for the sport in the UK, Kickboxing GB. Alex, who was wearing a headguard, suddenly became unwell after the end of the third and final, two-minute round. Father-of-three Mr Eastwood said he noticed his son, 'not looking right' as he held on to the ropes to make his way back to his corner. He added: 'I have run, dived into the ring under the ropes landed on my back. I have grabbed hold of my son, holding on to him, laid him on the ring. 'At that point, it just turned into a chaotic scene. You had two first aiders in the ring, I was pacing around using profanities and swearing. 'My son's breathing was like a big bulldog on a sunny day, struggling. He did have what seemed like a seizure. It felt like a lifetime, sir.' Paramedics arrived and took the teenager first to hospital in Wigan and then on to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where surgeons were waiting to operate. But it was discovered he had suffered catastrophic brain damage and bleeding. Mr Eastwood said he, Alex's step-mother Nikita, his two siblings and other family spent time with him at the hospital. His father stayed with him at his bedside until he died on July 2, last year. His organs were donated. Daniel Wigelsworth, one of Alex's coaches at Hurricane Combat and Fitness in Liverpool, said he was party to arrangements for the bout Alex took part in, along with Dale Bannister, owner of the TKMA gym in Wigan, which was setting up a charity event. They arranged the fight with Alex's opponent, who has not been named, as a 'good match up' in terms of weight, age and skill. The inquest also heard there did not appear to be any definitive rules on the length of rounds and Mr Wigelsworth said the rules are 'unclear' with different interpretations of 'light contact' rules during bouts, it being left to coaches and referees. Mr Wigelsworth said he believed Alex's opponent was a year older than him, but in fact was two years his senior. The inquest heard competitions, exhibition events and 'fight nights' can be put on by individual clubs and independent promoters, and the governing body does not sanction fundraising events. Gordon Mitchell, director at Kickboxing GB, said the sport has a number of governing bodies that sanction fights but Kickboxing GB is the only one in the UK recognised by Sport England, the body supporting grassroots sport, and the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO) which is itself recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Mr Mitchell said Kickboxing GB would never sanction 'light contact' bouts in a boxing ring due to safety reasons and these only take place outside a ring on mats. He said this is because it is easier to stop a fight on mats, by stepping off the mat, for example, if there is a mismatch. But he said in a bout in a ring, 'you are stuck between the ropes' and reliant on the referee to step in to stop a fight. 'There's more rules about stopping the fight early, on mats,' Mr Mitchell said. Adam Korn, a solicitor representing the Eastwood family, said despite these rules, unsanctioned, exhibition or 'fight night' bouts are frequently held up and down the country. Mr Korn said: 'Is that a concern to you?' 'Yes,' Mr Mitchell said. Mr Mitchell said he was aware of one other combat-related child death in the UK. Earlier this year the coroner wrote a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the government about the lack of regulation of contact sports for children, with no minimum standards or risk management. The inquest continues on Tuesday morning.
