With Hope in Their Hearts


With Hope in Their Hearts

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# Walk on with hope in your heart

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# And you'll never walk alone... #

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It was the result they fought for, but barely believed they'd get.

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The conclusion of unlawful killing on the 96 people

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who died at Hillsborough exploded the myth that Liverpool fans

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had caused the greatest peacetime disaster of our generation,

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and laid the blame squarely at the feet of the authorities.

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The Hillsborough disaster was entirely avoidable,

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as the jury has found.

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It was no accident.

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It was no natural phenomenon.

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It was caused by catastrophic human failure,

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but above all, it was a catastrophic policing failure.

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It's unlikely this would have been possible

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without the tenacity of one woman.

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Driven by a mother's love for her child -

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a woman who refused to give in.

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Until it's heard openly in an open court room

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and I get a new inquest on him,

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and I can get the death certificate changed,

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I can't put Kevin to rest.

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Tonight, we bring you the story of Anne Williams -

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an ordinary mum who went on an extraordinary search for truth.

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Her legacy is continued by her family,

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and we were given exclusive access to them

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throughout the new inquest process.

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This is the day of reckoning.

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If we don't get them now, we'll never get them.

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This is the story of their quest for justice.

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He was a good brother, he baby-sat me a lot

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when my mum went to work and went out.

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I just remember him being happy-go-lucky

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and always kicking a football.

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And even doing his homework for school,

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he loved school.

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A nice lad, a nice...

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A good-looking lad and a good sportsman,

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he was good at everything.

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He put his heart and soul into everything he did.

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The semifinal in Sheffield on the 15th of April, 1989,

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between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest

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was 15-year-old Kevin Williams' first away match without an adult -

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a reward for working hard at school.

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I did his packed lunch and everything the night before.

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And as he was walking out of the door,

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we saw him that morning, because I got him up,

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and as he walked out the door I said, "I hope they win, Kev."

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"No worries, Mum - 3-0." And off he went.

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That was the last time I saw him.

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Kevin and his friends arrived for the match in plenty of time

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and found themselves a place in pen three of the Leppings Lane Terrace -

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a pen which became fatally overcrowded

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when police ordered an exit gate to be opened

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to ease congestion outside.

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We just thought it was a pitch invasion.

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I remember I said to my mum... Because she'd ran out of ciggies,

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so she was nipping to the Legion to get some.

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I remember saying to my mum,

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"It said on the telly that seven were dead,"

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and I remember her shouting at me and saying, "Kevin's there."

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But you don't really understand as a kid, do you? You just don't think.

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I just remember them being up all night then...

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..and me dad phoning the helpline.

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Then we found out Stuart at the top had died.

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I think when we found out Andy was home, the lad he'd gone with,

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I think we knew then.

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Anne and her husband Steve drove over to Sheffield

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to try to find their son.

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But instead ended up identifying his lifeless body.

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They took us into this room

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and it had purple curtains.

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And I can remember them opening the curtains

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and there was glass between us. We couldn't touch him.

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I remember banging and screaming on the glass,

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because they'd turned Kevin towards the glass

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and he was looking at us. We couldn't even hold him.

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Caught in a crush on the Leppings Lane Terrace,

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Kevin became one of the youngest victims

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of football's most notorious disaster,

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which would go on to claim 96 lives.

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It had gone from having Kevin and his friends here,

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to having, like, no-one.

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I remember feeling really lonely after he died.

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The then inquest into how the fans died opened with the coroner

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ruling that they would all have been dead by 3:15pm,

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so he wouldn't be hearing any evidence after that time.

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But a chance remark to Kevin's mother, Anne, outside court

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set in motion a search for truth

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that would consume the rest of her life.

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They said they'd got something to tell me that would upset me -

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that when he was in the gymnasium at 4pm

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with Special WPC Martin,

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he'd opened his eyes and he's called for his mum.

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I'd got his head on my shoulder...

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..and I knew he was going,

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because he was getting bluer and bluer around the mouth,

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and his pallor was just going.

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As I picked him up,

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suddenly his eyes just opened...

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..and he looked straight through me and that's when he said, "Mum."

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But Debra Martin wasn't called to give evidence.

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Believing there had been a whitewash,

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Anne refused to pick up Kevin's death certificate

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which stated the cause of death as "accidental".

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The worst thing they could have told her at the original inquest -

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that he'd called "Mum".

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It's the worst thing they ever did because it just stemmed from there.

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Determined to find out the truth of what happened to her son,

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and track down those who had helped Kevin that day,

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those who said he was alive after 3:15.

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Stevie Hart was among a group of Liverpool fans

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who put Kevin on an advertising board

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to take him to what they thought was medical help

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down the other end of the pitch.

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When we picked him up, we went through...

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There was a cordon of police officers, about halfway,

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three-quarters of the way down the pitch.

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We went through them.

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But they were literally just standing there

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and people were just running through them with...

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advertising boards.

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And there was police officers literally standing,

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I don't know, two or three yards away from me,

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and I said, "Where can we put this young lad?"

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And he said to us, "Put him down there

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-"and then

-BLEEP

-off back down the other end of the pitch."

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And that was his exact words.

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And I didn't think of it at the time,

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but I thought, it's only later on, in hindsight, that I thought,

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"Why didn't he, when we put him... Why didn't he help him?"

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But I assumed because he told us to put him there

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that that was where all the medical people were going to be.

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Cos I mean, you know, there was that many people coming in.

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You wanted to get him help,

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and you wanted to get back and help as many other people as you could.

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So basically, we put him down there.

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Looking at it now, we should never have left him.

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But at that time,

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I was convinced

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he'd get any help he needed.

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And I think everybody else who carried him must have been the same,

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including two police officers.

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What made you think that Kevin was alive?

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Because he wasn't... There was people...

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I'd seen other people, and I knew they was dead

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because of their colour - they were blue.

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But I knew he was alive. I KNEW he was alive.

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And everybody who helped carry him knew he was alive.

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Because we were all sort of...

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We couldn't get him down there quick enough,

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because we knew he needed something,

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someone better qualified than me to help him.

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But no help came.

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Out of 44 South Yorkshire Ambulances called to the ground,

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only three made it on to the pitch.

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Anne found pathologists who said, given the right treatment,

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Kevin could have survived his injuries.

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Kevin could have been saved.

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I believe he died through lack of care.

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The part-time barmaid and mum

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became immersed in legal and medical documents.

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From being one of the 96, Kevin became the awkward one,

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the little boy who didn't fit in with the official version of events.

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Believing Kevin's case could open the door for all 96

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of those who died, Anne three times took her fight for a new inquest

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to the Attorney General, and when that failed,

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went to the European Court, only to be told her application was too late.

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But with each disappointment,

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Anne's resolve grew stronger.

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It's Kevin that drives me on.

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It's the memory of Kevin and the way Kevin was,

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and I often look at his photograph...

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There's times when I've wanted to burn the file,

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there's times when I think I can't go on, and I look at it

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and I can look at him looking at me and I can hear him saying to me,

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"Get them, Mum, get them for what they've done." And it's Kevin.

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And if you'd known him, if you'd known the type of little boy he was,

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he was fighting to save the world, the Green...

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He was clever at school. He wouldn't have wanted them to brush him away.

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People have said to me, you know, "How is your Anne?

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"Is she still going on about Hillsborough?"

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And I used to say, "Well, you don't know how you'd react

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"if it happened to one of yours."

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I don't know where she got the courage from.

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I mean, she loved the children,

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and that's all I can think.

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She loved her children so much.

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It took until 2009 for the Establishment to listen,

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when another lone voice changed everything.

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In the middle of the service to mark the disaster's 20th anniversary

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came the cry, "Justice".

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-MAN:

-Justice!

-He asked us to think at this time...

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CROWD SHOUTS The shouts became louder.

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CROWD CHANTS

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The then Minister for Sport and Culture, Andy Burnham,

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was stopped in his tracks.

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At a meeting at Liverpool Town Hall after the service

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he met Anne Williams.

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Anne got hold of Andy Burnham and wiped the floor with him,

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really told him what was what,

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and after that, Anne presented him with all her evidence

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and Andy took it and, again,

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this is why the panel was...

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And I do thank Andy for that

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because he did a great job.

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Parliament has never recorded their names

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in Hansard for posterity.

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Well, tonight, I can at least put one wrong right.

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John Alfred Anderson, 62.

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-Colin Mark Ashcroft, 19.

-HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

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The tide had turned.

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The names of all 96 who died at Hillsborough were read out

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for the first time in the House of Commons.

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Martin Kenneth Wild, 29.

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Kevin Daniel Williams, 15.

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Graham John Wright, 17.

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Rest in peace, justice for the 96.

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APPLAUSE

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The Government agreed to release

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all the documents relating to the disaster

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so they could be scrutinised by an independent panel.

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The publication of that panel's report

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on what became known as Truth Day in September 2012

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leant support to some families' claims of a cover-up,

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detailed the failure of the emergency services,

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and contained the harrowing news that Kevin,

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along with 40 others, could have been saved.

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Mr Speaker, with the weight of the new evidence in this report,

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it is right for me today, as Prime Minister, to make a proper apology

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to the families of the 96 for all they have suffered

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over the past 23 years.

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My son and 95 innocent Liverpool fans did not die in an accident.

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They were unlawfully killed at the least.

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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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What shocked me was 41 could have been saved.

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We knew there'd be more,

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but I thought perhaps a couple of dozen, but 41...!

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God forbid, you know, that all them could have been saved.

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She said, to her, it was like a big weight had been lifted.

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And she said she wasn't that mad woman that went on

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about Hillsborough any more

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because people did think she was a bit of a lunatic.

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Anne pressed on, organising a petition to get Kevin's inquest

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verdict quashed and new ones opened into all those who died.

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This was finally granted at the High Court in London,

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where Danny accompanied his sister,

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who had by now been diagnosed with cancer.

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This is what I fought for for 23 years.

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They bounced me from one wall to the other, and I knew

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what they were doing. I thought, "They're wearing me down,

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"but I'll wear them down before they wear me down."

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And I've actually done it.

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What do you think Kevin would make of his mum now?

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I think he'd be dead proud.

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Time ran out for Anne.

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She died in April 2013, just days after she'd attended

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her final Hillsborough memorial service.

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Across Liverpool, flags flew at half-mast.

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And later that year, her tenacity was honoured by a special

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Sports Personality Of The Year Award.

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APPLAUSE

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Me mum was a good mum. She was a Hillsborough mum,

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but she was still OUR mum.

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She learned to deal with it differently, even the grieving side

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of it - she grieved for Kevin in a different way.

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It's like Kevin and Hillsborough were two separate things,

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in a way, the way she grieved and the way she dealt with it.

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Someone only has to mention Hillsborough to me and I go to pieces

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Me mum didn't - she did learn to separate it.

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But I think it's just something she had to do over the years.

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Anne had a terrible birthmark on her face.

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She was always conscious of it. So she was a shy little girl.

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Obviously we were very close cos we were close together in age,

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only 18 months, and it's nothing when you're children.

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So all my friends were Anne's friends, and certainly

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when we were smaller, and Anne was always just behind me,

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always just behind me.

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And to me, I've said it before,

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like, she always says she looked up to me,

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but...for many years I looked up to her.

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The new inquests begin in spring 2014, in a specially built courtroom

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on a business park in Warrington.

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Expected to last for six months, they open with each family

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delivering a pen portrait of their loved one -

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an emotional moment for Sara, whose mother fought so hard

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for Kevin's case to be reopened.

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I did it for me mum more than Kevin, I suppose,

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because she would have done it.

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She would have loved her moment in court to be able to stand up

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and talk about him. So I said I'd do it.

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I really looked up to our Kev, and I wanted to go wherever he went

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and hang around with him.

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Most older brothers would get fed up with a little sister

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following him everywhere, but Kev didn't mind me tagging along.

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My mum fought hard over the years to get the truth uncovered

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about what happened at Hillsborough, and it is only now that I've

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children of my own that I understand the relentless determination

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that came so naturally to her - because of the love

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that she had for Kevin.

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The inquests halt for the 25th anniversary -

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the first service since Anne's death.

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APPLAUSE

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There's going to be a big crowd here today.

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I think a lot of people... Because it's 25 years,

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and the publicity that Hillsborough's getting,

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I think we're going to have a full house today.

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And people are realising now how important Hillsborough is.

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I mean, this is going to be one of the biggest cases ever,

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and it is, it's massive.

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There's a much warmer reception for Andy Burnham this time,

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and a special mention for Anne.

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I want to end by saying something directly to Margaret, to Sue,

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Trevor, Jenni and all the families,

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and I only wish I could say it

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to Anne Williams, whose memory we also honour today.

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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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I mean, I must admit I did break down, I couldn't control myself.

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I couldn't hold back the tears.

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It did get to me, but for it to happen today,

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I just wish Anne could have been there to see that.

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I'd been going one day a week.

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To be honest, it's enough for me to absorb at the moment.

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But I do look at the transcripts - the solicitors send us

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transcripts of the case, and I do read those.

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And I keep myself informed if I can.

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But there's a lot going on. There's an awful lot to take in as well.

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A former senior police officer has admitted that he should have

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realised a major incident was unfolding at Hillsborough

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on the day of the tragedy in 1989.

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This is what's coming out all the time.

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There was a lack of leadership.

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Um, officers were waiting for the match commander to react,

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and it didn't happen.

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And this is where we are today.

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We're now two years on,

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coming up to two years on from the original inquest being quashed.

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Um...and over two years since the HIP report came out.

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And, to be honest, I thought

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the police would have capitulated then,

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and held their hands up and said, "That's it, we're guilty.

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"We made a mistake and we'll take it on the chin."

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But no, you get the arrogance now of officers standing up in court

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and literally putting the families through hell, really.

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Um, having to sit through videos of their loved ones,

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horrific views of their loved ones being dragged out of the pens,

0:18:530:18:59

and it's not nice at all.

0:18:590:19:01

The inquest should have finished by now, but it's Christmas 2014,

0:19:080:19:12

and they're still only partway through the proceedings.

0:19:120:19:15

I found the survivors' accounts really upsetting,

0:19:180:19:21

when they were describing what it was like inside the pens

0:19:210:19:24

and stuff, cos it sort of makes it more real than...

0:19:240:19:29

Not so much more real, but you know what happened,

0:19:290:19:32

you know what it must have been like for Kevin, to a certain extent,

0:19:320:19:35

and the survivors.

0:19:350:19:37

But it's the police evidence that infuriates me.

0:19:390:19:42

What about it?

0:19:440:19:45

Just they way they keep saying we were drunk and their behaviour

0:19:450:19:48

was neurotic, and one said we behaved like lemmings,

0:19:480:19:52

and when asked to describe what a lemming was,

0:19:520:19:55

he said it was an animal that self-destructed.

0:19:550:19:58

In other words, some of them were basically saying they brought it

0:19:580:20:01

on themselves, aren't they?

0:20:010:20:02

They all seem to be pointing back to that police control box

0:20:020:20:05

as well, don't they?

0:20:050:20:07

So they're sort of blaming the fans, but in backup they're placing it

0:20:070:20:11

back to the police control box -

0:20:110:20:12

in other words they're just turning it on Duckenfield, aren't they?

0:20:120:20:15

David Duckenfield was the match commander at Hillsborough.

0:20:150:20:19

It was his first time in charge of a capacity football match.

0:20:190:20:22

And he is the person the families most want to hear from,

0:20:220:20:25

since their failed private prosecution against him in 2000.

0:20:250:20:30

On the day of the disaster he wrongfully blamed fans

0:20:300:20:33

for forcing open an exit gate to gain access to the ground.

0:20:330:20:36

How are you feeling, Sara?

0:20:510:20:53

Nervous.

0:20:530:20:54

I've got a bad stomach.

0:20:570:20:59

In March 2015, the former Superintendent is called

0:20:590:21:03

to the inquest to be cross-examined as a witness.

0:21:030:21:06

Sara and Danny feel tense as they drive to the court.

0:21:060:21:09

It is a bit surreal, isn't it?

0:21:090:21:12

Coming face-to-face with him.

0:21:120:21:13

After all these years.

0:21:150:21:16

It's just sad that Anne couldn't see it this far.

0:21:180:21:22

I think she would be glad to see him in the court.

0:21:240:21:28

She always knew, unless she got another inquest, she would probably

0:21:280:21:32

never see him in court.

0:21:320:21:33

With all the other avenues she's been down,

0:21:350:21:37

she never thought she'd ever get Duckenfield.

0:21:370:21:40

But nothing had prepared them for what happened that day.

0:21:400:21:43

Our top story.

0:21:430:21:45

Gasps in court as the top policeman at Hillsborough

0:21:450:21:48

admits lying about the disaster...

0:21:480:21:50

A police commander at the Hillsborough disaster tells

0:21:500:21:53

an inquest he will regret lying about the tragedy to his dying day.

0:21:530:21:56

Former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield...

0:21:560:21:59

The double apology in court today from David Duckenfield,

0:21:590:22:03

one directed at the families who lost loved ones, for the distress

0:22:030:22:07

and upset that he caused by that lie,

0:22:070:22:09

and a second apology also, for not thinking about the consequences

0:22:090:22:12

of some of the decision-making that he did that day.

0:22:120:22:15

Back in the car, Danny and Sara are stunned by his admission.

0:22:150:22:19

Just wasn't expecting it.

0:22:200:22:22

It was a bit of a shock, really.

0:22:240:22:26

But he should have said it years ago, shouldn't he?

0:22:270:22:30

It is quite a serious thing - a senior officer now has

0:22:300:22:33

admitted he told a lie.

0:22:330:22:35

It was a shock in court.

0:22:360:22:38

Certainly from where we were sat.

0:22:380:22:40

There was quite a lot of tears, of...I think it was just relief,

0:22:400:22:44

that actually he has admitted something which in the past,

0:22:440:22:48

you wouldn't get him to admit anything,

0:22:480:22:51

he was so arrogant, still is.

0:22:510:22:53

Sara, what was it like seeing him face-to-face?

0:22:530:22:55

Because you were quite apprehensive this morning?

0:22:550:22:58

Oh, it was horrible.

0:22:580:23:00

As soon as he walked in, I started crying.

0:23:000:23:02

It is like an anxiety thing coming face-to-face with him.

0:23:030:23:07

But I feel better now I have.

0:23:080:23:09

And in the days to come, there are more revelations

0:23:120:23:15

from the former Chief Superintendent.

0:23:150:23:17

Today another admission, when the man who was in charge

0:23:170:23:21

of policing at Hillsborough said his failures had caused

0:23:210:23:24

the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.

0:23:240:23:28

We expected a bigger fight from him, to be quite honest with you.

0:23:280:23:32

But...he sort of must have come to terms with it himself

0:23:320:23:38

and got it off his chest, after 26 years.

0:23:380:23:41

The 26th anniversary of the disaster is a subdued affair, as the long,

0:23:440:23:48

drawn-out process takes its toll on the families.

0:23:480:23:51

Danny joins members of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign

0:23:510:23:54

at the memorial in Liverpool city centre.

0:23:540:23:57

This is the Drum, they call it now, the memorial.

0:23:570:24:00

And, yeah, it's a place to come and reflect.

0:24:030:24:05

I often come - it's nice on a sunny day, um,

0:24:050:24:09

just to say hello to Kev and have a little chat.

0:24:090:24:13

It's just a way of remembering, and showing respect.

0:24:130:24:18

The families are very, very dignified and, to me,

0:24:180:24:24

sometimes in court when you feel like really standing up

0:24:240:24:28

and saying something, but you can't, you can't.

0:24:280:24:32

Nobody has ever done that yet, and I don't think they ever will.

0:24:330:24:36

All we want is justice.

0:24:360:24:39

And hopefully we'll get it.

0:24:390:24:41

The last thing we want is you to leave the courtroom

0:24:430:24:46

at the end of this process thinking, "I wish they'd asked that."

0:24:460:24:49

18 months after the start of the process, it'll soon be time

0:24:490:24:53

for the inquest to hear what happened to Kevin.

0:24:530:24:56

Sara and Danny meet with their legal team. They're pleased to hear

0:24:560:24:59

that for the first time, two police officers Anne tracked down

0:24:590:25:03

and who said Kevin was alive after 3:15, will be giving evidence.

0:25:030:25:08

This is key evidence.

0:25:080:25:09

These are two police officers who were there,

0:25:090:25:13

and although you've been left over the years

0:25:130:25:17

with more question marks than answers,

0:25:170:25:19

this is our final opportunity to work out exactly what

0:25:190:25:25

happened with Kevin and the process that he went through.

0:25:250:25:30

The night before Kevin's inquest, everyone is apprehensive

0:25:310:25:35

as the evidence Anne gathered will finally be put to the test.

0:25:350:25:38

The kids have kept me busy.

0:25:380:25:40

I suppose I've been dreading it, but now it's tomorrow,

0:25:400:25:45

I feel a lot better knowing it's here.

0:25:450:25:47

It's just, trying to come to terms that my mum is not here to see it.

0:25:470:25:52

-Is that the toughest part for you?

-Yes.

0:25:570:26:00

Because a lot of it we've known anyway,

0:26:000:26:02

from what my mum found out, but actually hearing it in court,

0:26:020:26:06

and her not being there to witness it, after all the hard work she did.

0:26:060:26:10

No wonder Anne was fired up. There was no way

0:26:100:26:13

she was going to give up on it, no matter what anybody said.

0:26:130:26:16

This is a day of reckoning, and if we don't get them now,

0:26:160:26:19

we'll never get them.

0:26:190:26:20

Finally, it's the day of Kevin's inquest, a day for which his mother

0:26:350:26:38

Anne fought so hard, a day his family barely believed would come.

0:26:380:26:43

Kevin's case will take longer than any of the other victims,

0:26:430:26:47

such is the volume of evidence painstakingly uncovered by his mum.

0:26:470:26:51

We'll just bring you in here, just for a minute. We'll set up.

0:26:510:26:56

I just want to get on with it and get it over, so...

0:26:560:27:01

I do realise there'll be a lot of interest and all that,

0:27:010:27:04

but I can't handle the press like Anne could. She was very good at it.

0:27:040:27:09

I know this is a very difficult day for you,

0:27:090:27:12

-but so important to have got to this point now.

-Oh, definitely, yeah.

0:27:120:27:17

Yeah, definitely. I mean, it took Anne's life to get here.

0:27:170:27:21

And for Kevin as well, very much in your thoughts today.

0:27:220:27:25

Oh, yeah, very much so, yeah. Very much so.

0:27:250:27:28

-Thank you.

-OK.

0:27:290:27:32

It's the first opportunity that many witnesses found by Anne have

0:27:320:27:35

had to give their version of events.

0:27:350:27:38

Derek Bruder, an off duty policeman, said he found a pulse on Kevin

0:27:380:27:42

at 3:30, 15 minutes after the original inquest said he had died.

0:27:420:27:47

He also claimed in court he was persuaded to change his statement.

0:27:470:27:51

'PC Bruder also told the jury about a visit he had about a year after

0:27:510:27:56

'the disaster from a West Midlands Police officer'

0:27:560:27:58

called Matthew Sawers. West Midlands Police, don't forget,

0:27:580:28:01

had been asked to help the coroner with the original inquest.

0:28:010:28:04

He said that Mr Sawers tried to get him to change his story,

0:28:040:28:07

to say he might have been mistaken about Kevin Williams having a pulse.

0:28:070:28:12

At one stage, Mr Bruder was on the phone to

0:28:120:28:14

a pathologist from the Sheffield coroner's officer, and he said

0:28:140:28:18

he then bowed to superior medical knowledge and did change his story.

0:28:180:28:21

He said this was a deliberate attempt to put words into his mouth.

0:28:210:28:26

But he's told the jury he now sticks by his original account

0:28:260:28:30

that Kevin Williams did have a pulse when he was with him.

0:28:300:28:34

Matthew Sawers denied putting any pressure on Derek Bruder to

0:28:340:28:37

change his statement and said the amendments were the result

0:28:370:28:40

of PC Bruder reflecting on his first statement and adding further detail.

0:28:400:28:46

He said the second statement was written prior to the

0:28:460:28:48

telephone conversation between PC Bruder and the pathologist

0:28:480:28:52

and wasn't subsequently changed.

0:28:520:28:55

Crucially, Debra Martin is also allowed to speak at this inquest.

0:28:550:28:59

She repeats her claim to the jury that Kevin died

0:28:590:29:02

in her arms at 4pm, his last words being "Mum."

0:29:020:29:06

She also claims Julie Appleton, a West Midlands Police officer,

0:29:060:29:10

convinced her to change her statement.

0:29:100:29:12

Miss Martin says she was put under extreme pressure.

0:29:130:29:16

Now, a barrister for Miss Appleton said that she rejects Miss Martin's

0:29:160:29:21

version of events.

0:29:210:29:23

In court, Julie Appleton said she only visited Debra once

0:29:230:29:26

and she didn't put pressure on her, didn't try to get her to

0:29:260:29:29

alter the statement and was only searching for the truth.

0:29:290:29:33

She said, "It was Debra's statement

0:29:330:29:35

"and it was up to her what she included in that."

0:29:350:29:39

Back home, Kevin's Uncle Danny reflects on the day.

0:29:390:29:43

I thank them both on behalf of the family,

0:29:430:29:45

and all the other families, for what they did.

0:29:450:29:48

Because I feel very strongly that they did it for us.

0:29:480:29:51

Does it matter now what time Kevin died?

0:29:510:29:55

No, not really.

0:29:550:29:57

It's just the fact that they...

0:29:570:30:01

they felt it was important, not...

0:30:010:30:04

More so than us. It was them that wanted to change the times, not us.

0:30:040:30:10

They wanted it to fit in with the 3:15 cut-off time.

0:30:100:30:14

-And they did their utmost to do that.

-And how are you feeling now?

0:30:140:30:19

Um, I'm OK.

0:30:190:30:22

Yeah, I feel OK. Er...

0:30:240:30:28

There's always...

0:30:280:30:30

It's always...

0:30:300:30:32

always in your mind, no matter what happens,

0:30:320:30:34

it's not going to bring him back, that's the hard bit.

0:30:340:30:39

We know that Kevin was transported the length of the pitch...

0:30:410:30:45

Some months later, it's time for the jury to hear

0:30:450:30:47

the evidence of pathologists who have pored over

0:30:470:30:50

the details of Kevin's last moments

0:30:500:30:52

and concluded that Kevin probably died around 3:45,

0:30:520:30:56

so it's not medically plausible he could have regained

0:30:560:30:59

consciousness and uttered the word "Mum" to Debra Martin.

0:30:590:31:03

We've established he's gone past the 3:15 cut-off time,

0:31:030:31:07

and with care,

0:31:070:31:10

another half an hour, he could, with care,

0:31:100:31:14

if they've initiated the major incident

0:31:140:31:17

and got ambulances on the pitch, have also established that, with oxygen,

0:31:170:31:21

Kevin, with a bag and mask, he could have survived.

0:31:210:31:25

-We heard some quite graphic evidence, didn't we?

-Horrific.

0:31:250:31:28

I don't want to do that again.

0:31:310:31:33

And I'm glad Sara stayed away.

0:31:330:31:35

The jury in the new Hillsborough inquest has retired to

0:31:450:31:48

consider its conclusions about how 96 Liverpool fans

0:31:480:31:52

died at an FA Cup semifinal in 1989.

0:31:520:31:56

In what has now become the longest inquest in British legal history,

0:31:560:31:59

two years after they were sworn in,

0:31:590:32:02

the jurors are at last sent out to consider the evidence.

0:32:020:32:06

The coroner reminded the jury today that one of the questions

0:32:060:32:09

they'll have to answer is whether the 96 were unlawfully killed.

0:32:090:32:14

To decide that, they must consider whether the match commander,

0:32:140:32:17

David Duckenfield, breached any duty of care he may have owed

0:32:170:32:21

to the fans, and whether that breach was grossly negligent.

0:32:210:32:25

At last, really, yeah.

0:32:250:32:28

I mean, the families have sat through harrowing

0:32:280:32:31

evidence for two years now, and sat there with dignity

0:32:310:32:35

and patience, waiting for the jury to go out, and now we're waiting for

0:32:350:32:39

the results, so hopefully, fingers crossed, we'll get the right result.

0:32:390:32:43

It's quite emotional in court, lots of tugs and a few tears as well.

0:32:430:32:47

The families are very close, they're very supportive of each other.

0:32:470:32:51

You know, we've bonded over the last two years.

0:32:510:32:54

Well, over the last 27 years, really.

0:32:540:32:56

But certainly over the last two years.

0:32:560:32:59

Just over a week later and it's the anniversary of the disaster.

0:33:010:33:04

It's the last memorial service the families will hold at Anfield,

0:33:040:33:08

and 96 doves are released in memory of those who died.

0:33:080:33:11

I was hoping it would have been done with now before the anniversary.

0:33:140:33:18

But I am relieved we've gone out. It's just the waiting, isn't it, now?

0:33:190:33:23

It's just...

0:33:230:33:24

Just want it over with and just start a new life without Hillsborough.

0:33:260:33:29

And how does that feel, waiting for that call?

0:33:290:33:32

I thought I'd be a nightmare, to be honest,

0:33:320:33:35

but I feel quite calm about it, because we're working on it now

0:33:350:33:39

and we're doing it, so our lives are basically in their hands, aren't they?

0:33:390:33:43

But it's a nice feeling knowing that we're doing it now.

0:33:430:33:48

Sara doesn't have long to wait.

0:33:510:33:54

Less than three weeks after being sent out,

0:33:540:33:56

the jurors say they've reached their conclusions.

0:33:560:33:58

For their final trip to the inquest,

0:33:580:34:01

the families travel together on a coach.

0:34:010:34:03

I'm very nervous.

0:34:090:34:11

It's hard to think it could go any other way but the way we want.

0:34:120:34:18

But there's always that... There's 27 years of mistrust,

0:34:180:34:22

and you just can't relax, nobody can relax.

0:34:220:34:26

All of the families are the same. Until we hear it, we can't.

0:34:260:34:32

Outside the inquest there's a long queue to get in,

0:34:320:34:36

and the wait is almost too much for Sara.

0:34:360:34:38

-Tell me how you're feeling, Sara?

-A bit sick. Nervous. Just...

0:34:380:34:44

Tomorrow's a new day, isn't it?

0:34:440:34:47

You've waited a long time for this, haven't you, Sara?

0:34:470:34:50

Start of a new life tomorrow, every outcome.

0:34:500:34:53

The jurors had 14 questions to consider,

0:34:570:35:00

and their answers come in rapid succession.

0:35:000:35:03

Most importantly, the jury decides the behaviour of fans didn't

0:35:030:35:07

contribute to the disaster, and all 96 were unlawfully killed.

0:35:070:35:12

Fantastic, unbelievable, 14-0 to the families.

0:35:140:35:18

I just can't believe it.

0:35:180:35:20

They went through the questions so quickly, it was hard to take in.

0:35:200:35:24

Unanimous - we couldn't ask for anything better.

0:35:250:35:28

Just tell me how you feel about the result.

0:35:280:35:31

Over the moon. I can't... Still in shock, really.

0:35:320:35:37

Just looking forward to getting on with our lives tomorrow.

0:35:370:35:40

Tell me what happened in court,

0:35:400:35:41

what was it like when the verdict was announced?

0:35:410:35:44

It was a bit surreal. I don't think... We were all hoping for unlawful killing,

0:35:460:35:50

but I don't think we were actually going to get it.

0:35:500:35:52

But we've swept the board.

0:35:520:35:54

-You got absolutely everything you wanted, didn't you?

-Everything.

0:35:550:35:59

It's just a shame that my mum

0:35:590:36:02

and other families that died aren't here to see it.

0:36:020:36:06

She'd be absolutely thrilled with that, wouldn't she?

0:36:060:36:09

She's definitely looking down today.

0:36:090:36:11

As soon as question six came up,

0:36:110:36:13

the unlawful killing verdict came up,

0:36:130:36:16

and they said yes, everybody cheered.

0:36:160:36:20

It was a gasp of... You could feel it in the air and everybody cheered.

0:36:200:36:24

There was a lot of tears. Myself included. Just couldn't believe it.

0:36:240:36:29

And then question seven, about the fans' behaviour,

0:36:290:36:32

that was another one we were worried about.

0:36:320:36:34

But it came through, it came through.

0:36:340:36:37

The fans have been vindicated, quite rightly. Quite rightly.

0:36:370:36:42

It's just sad that Anne can't be here.

0:36:420:36:44

Justice!

0:36:440:36:46

It's over now, it's over now.

0:36:510:36:54

And I'm absolutely made up.

0:36:540:36:56

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