The acquittal of Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has caused shock and anger after a 30-year campaign for criminal accountability for the disaster. Several people whose family members died at Hillsborough in 1989 walked out of the new inquests into the disaster as the former policeman who commanded the FA Cup semi-final tried to explain why he had not told the truth for 26 years, and apologised again to them. The jury at the inquests returned a verdict of unlawful killing, reversing the 1990 ruling of accidental deaths. It was a catastrophic and deadly error. He said he had post traumatic stress disorder, and hid myself away and could not bear the word Hillsborough after the report was published, but then said he had begun to face the truth two years ago, with the help of doctors. I did my very best on the day.". He had originally been accused of the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 Liverpool fans, but denied all the charges. Read about our approach to external linking. He described the policing outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles, where Duckenfield accepted the South Yorkshire police lost control at 2:40pm, as non-existent or shambolic at best. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool supporters. The jury found match commander - former Ch Supt David Duckenfield - "responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence" due to a breach of his duty of care. There will be a service at the Anglican cathedral, and a minutes silence will be observed at 3.06pm the moment the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was stopped as the scale of the disaster became apparent. Match commander tells inquest that watching a documentary made him realise the effect the disaster had on the bereaved families. The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. He said footage of a mother having to cuddle her dead child on the dirty floor of the Hillsborough gymnasium was the most moving thing he had ever seen, and that it had shown him "what it means to a mother to lose a loved one". The prosecution alleged Mr Duckenfield had a "personal responsibility" for what happened at the match. David Duckenfield is charge with gross negligence manslaughter of 96 victims, while former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell is charged with two health and safety offences. It is right that an impartial and thorough investigation was carried out, and it is right that a jury was asked to make a judgement of the facts. Sir Peter Openshaw, the judge, told the jury that the inquests findings which were not discussed in court were quite irrelevant. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Solicitor Peter Metcalf, former chief superintendent Donald Denton and former detective chief inspector Alan Foster are all charged with perverting the course of justice. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. At 2.48pm Gate C was opened - also by police in the area - sparking a comment from an officer alongside Duckenfield that fans had stormed the ground. Mr Duckenfield's defence counsel argued the case against him was "deeply unfair". "I would like to know who is responsible for my father's death because someone is.". He said he would regret them to his dying day. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Why Covid lab-leak theory is now being taken seriously, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The Crown Prosecution Service says changes in the evidence of two witnesses and the death of a third meant that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. The Sun newspaper publishes its infamous front page with the headline The Truth, blaming drunk Liverpool fans for the disaster and even accusing some of stealing from the dead and injured. He was fined 6,500 and ordered to pay 5,000. Her adult life has been dominated by the quest to find the truth about her father and gain justice for him. Live reporting from the Hillsborough Inquests, Families and players react to conclusions. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Attorney general Dominic Grieve had made an application based on the Hillsborough Independent Panels report. But his acquittal does not undo his shameful lie. Christine, whose father Henry Burke was killed in the disaster, addressed the judge after the verdict was read out. The only effective way to ensure this sort of scenario is not repeated is accountability. Amid growing calls for transparency, the Hillsborough Independent Panel is set up. Former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell, 69, stood trial alongside Duckenfield in January and was found guilty of a health and safety offence for failing to ensure there were enough turnstiles to prevent unduly large crowds building up outside the ground. Mr Duckenfield, now 71, had claimed that after a large crowd built up outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium, Liverpool fans had broken in, causing a rush of people to flood into the fenced-in terraces. The report also accuses police chief David Duckenfield, who was responsible for the match, of blunders of the first magnitude. Judith Moritz, BBC North of England correspondent. acquit Mr Duckenfield of gross negligence manslaughter, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, Extra 25% off kitchen appliances using this AO discount code, 35 off 1st orders with this Soak & Sleep voucher code & orders 100+, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. It remained open for more than five minutes. And yet 23 minutes later he suggested it was the supporters, some of whom were dying beneath him, who were responsible. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Mr Duckenfield said that, in the pressure of the day, he froze and did not consider the consequences of his actions. Allan Green, the director of public prosecutions, finds there is insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against any individual, group or corporate body. This was to be a fatal decision as thousands of Liverpool. Lord Justice Peter Taylors interim report into the tragedy puts the blame on South Yorkshire Police. The families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, the survivors who managed to get out of the overcrowded pens at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesdays ground, and the campaigners who have fought relentlessly for justice for decades were expecting the verdict. For this to happen, there needs to be accountability. There has been barely any for those who were mindbogglingly inept at Hillsborough. After delivering the verdict the judge, Sir Peter Openshaw thanked the jury before they were dismissed. Read about our approach to external linking. 2023 BBC. A judge lifts the historic stay of further prosecution on Mr Duckenfield, allowing new proceedings to go ahead. The inquest jury concludes that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool fans behaviour did not contribute to the crush. The prosecution in the case alleged Duckenfield, 75, had a 'personal responsibility' for what happened at the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, when 96 people were fatally injured . Sue Hemming, the CPS director of legal services, reacts to the decision by issuing a scathing statement. "30 years means myths took root about fans being a cause of the disaster, now unequivocally shown by both defence and prosecution evidence to be wrong. But this influx caused further crushing inside the stadium, with fans at the front attempting to climb onto the pitch to safety. The HFSG is granted permission for a private manslaughter prosecution against Mr Duckenfield and Mr Murray. He was initially accused of telling lies about the culpability of fans and his role in the event, reports the BBC. David Duckenfield, a Police Chief Superintendent, who has been accused of the death of 96 people in the tragic incident of the Hillsborough disaster, was found not guilty in charge of manslaughter. Jimmy Hennessey, a 29-year-old, had negligible medical attention and was placed in a body bag while still alive. A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the verdict did not affect the findings of the Hillsborough inquests, which ruled the victims had been unlawfully killed. More than 2,000 fans then entered through exit gate C, with many heading for the tunnel ahead of them, which led to the central pens of the terrace where the crush happened. david duckenfield cycling. Duckenfields ordeal ended at Preston crown court on Thursday. That cowardly deceit set the tone for everything that followed. Of the 96 people who were crushed, trampled or suffocated, 37 were teenagers, most still at school, many attending their first away game supporting Liverpool. Match commander Ch Supt David Duckenfield had ordered for an exit gate at the stadium to be opened, by the Leppings Lane turnstiles. Paul Robinson, whose brother Steven was killed in the stadium crush, said: "As a family we would like to thank all those who have supported us over the years in our quest for justice and accountability. A police doctor certified him as "unfit to undertake the duties of a police constable" and diagnosed him with "severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder". Ch Supt Duckenfield reacted to the build-up of supporters outside the ground by ordering the gates to be opened before the game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Benjamin Myers QC told the jury his client had become "the focus of blame". David Duckenfield found not guilty over Hillsborough disaster Hillsborough: Former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary fined 6,500 Sheffield Wednesday FC is also criticised for an inadequate. He also rejects a prosecution application to prevent tweeting from court, sharing articles on social media or embedding video into news articles. Liverpool FC said it shared "the reactions and frustrations by the families today and those affected by the Hillsborough tragedy". Asked by Mansfield why he had chosen to remain silent for 26 years, Duckenfield said that he had been prompted to finally tell the whole truth after the publication of the report by the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012 and a television programme he had seen about the disasters effect on the families. The prosecution of Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield was "breathtakingly unfair" as he was made to take the blame for others, a jury has heard. What is wrong is that it has taken 30 years to get to this point. Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley, who was in overall command of Operation Resolve - the criminal inquiry into the disaster, acknowledged the jury "had a difficult and challenging task". Abuse of process arguments for other defendants fails. 27 febrero, 2023 . The acquittal of David Duckenfield is the latest twist in the history of a disaster which has lasted 30 years. We need to be able to trust the emergency services and the systems that are set up to protect the populace. The former South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent, 75, was in charge of the FA Cup semi-final in which 96 fans were fatally injured. 2.48pm: One of those gates, Gate C, is opened. Sergeant Michael Goddard, who was in the police control box, told the trial the request was not unusual, 2.30pm: Duckenfield raises the size of the crowd outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles and asks ground commander, Supt Bernard Murray, whether those fans will be in the ground for the 3pm kick-off. The court heard the chief superintendent ordered the opening of exit gates at the Leppings Lane end of the ground at 2.52pm, eight minutes before kick-off, after the area outside the turnstiles became dangerously overcrowded. The entrance had a limited number of turnstiles, of which just seven were allocated to the 10,100 fans with tickets for the standing terraces. An investigation was launched after more than 1,500 police pocket notebooks relevant to the Hillsborough disaster were uncovered weeks before the trial of David Duckenfield was due to start, it. He was asked whether he thought over the last 26 years about the bereaved families, who according to their barrister, Rajiv Menon QC waged a courageous and unrelenting campaign that culminated in 2012 with the quashing of the first inquests. The retired chief . The match commander on the day, David Duckenfield, was cleared of gross. He also admitted to a "terrible lie". 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