The Hillsborough Inquests BBC News Special

A jury ruled the football supporters who died at Hillsborough

And that they were in no way to blame.

After two years in court, there's high emotion as the fight

for justice finally delivers the verdict the families wanted.

Please, God, you will sleep well tonight, as will the other 95. You

are copy you are going to sleep well to night.

David Duckenfield, the match commander on the day,

is found to be grossly negligent in his duty to protect fans.

Could he now face a criminal prosecution?

We hear from the key witnesses, the survivors and the police

officers who battled to save lives on the pitch.

I didn't do enough, you see. I could never lose a child. That is awful.

The cheers, tears, shouts and sobs from the families said it all.

This was a verdict they'd waited 27 long years to hear.

Tonight, finally, they have truth and justice.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Hillsborough

disaster on April 15th, 1989, has been officially an accident.

Something that the police and emergencies services

couldn't be blamed for, couldn't be held responsible for.

The only people who were blamed were the fans.

in a special court room in Warrington,

the inquest jury handed down its conclusions.

Killed by a police operation which was badly planned, badly led,

in the words of the jury "grossly negligent".

Criminal prosecutions could now follow.

Our Merseyside reporter Andy Gill was there for the dramatic

conclusion to the families' epic fight for justice.

# With hope in your heart... #

We were crying, we were shouting, we were shaking.

# You'll never walk alone. #

How long have they waited for this day?

The families who queued for their place in court.

I have never experienced anxiety like it before

How long, the families who travelled from Liverpool to Warrington?

So many emotions going around this morning for us all.

25 years since the original inquests in Sheffield returned verdicts

to the disbelief and fury of the families.

The courtroom was quiet until the coroner

"Are you satisfied so that you are sure

"that those who died were unlawfully killed?"

He said to the jury forewoman, "Was your answer yes?"

27 years of anger and frustration broke, in

# Walk on... #

An impromptu celebration from people who still didn't quite

That Hillsborough was not an accident.

And I just prayed, put my hands together and prayed to my

"Please, God, you're going to sleep well tonight, James, as will

They are, they are going to sleep well tonight.

I always hoped, I dreamed that we would get this decision.

The jury said a series of failings contributed to the disaster,

and the failure of police and ambulance officers

to react quickly enough, but fan behaviour did not play a part.

And later there was criticism of aurhorities who'd tried to blame

In these very proceedings we witnessed a strong

campaign by ex-senior police officers, continuing

Separate criminal and police misconduct inquiries continue.

Today, though, was was about a wait finally over.

27 years it's took, and we've done it.

Joining me now are two very important people in that fight for

justice, Jenni Hicks, who lost her daughters Victoria and Sarah, and

Steve Kelly who lost his brother, Michael. I would like to start

really, when you had the answer of the jewellery to question six, was

it unlawful killing? What were your immediate thoughts? Relief, utter

and total relief that finally, after and total relief that finally, after

27 years, a jury had come to the right conclusion. It was quite a

shock because we heard the first five questions and yes was answered

to every one of those so by the time we got to number 60 emotions were

very high anyway, and just looked around at the people surrounding me,

there were tears flowing and people holding hands and touch each other

and ghosts were coming from the court and, you know, it was a very

momentous moment. You could see the relief on people's faces. It was a

truly brilliant moment for all the families and all the survivors. When

we spoke a few weeks ago you said you were not sure that you wanted to

see anybody go to jail. Now, do you still feel that? Whether we will not

because the main people we were looking at go to jail or possibly to

hold these days so whether we get that we do not know and that will be

decided later but now we have this decision today the DPP will make the

decision and that will be down to them and people who are more

qualified than me to those decisions. This has been a huge

fight, and I know you have lost so much, is this justice, or is just a

still to come? Justice is still to come, this was the truth today but

the true justice will come when we have accountability because I do

believe that a conclusion like we have had today from the jury today

has to be followed up. You are looking at 96 innocent deaths, those

96 people were unlawfully killed, so, yes, accountability is to

follow, I think. For now, thank you very much indeed. Justice! Justice!

The cry today, as in many days over the past quarter of a century,

But behind that number lie 96 individual stories.

96 football fans who just went out on

a sunny spring day to support their team in the FA Cup

The cry for justice has been all about them.

I watched from the kitchen window as he walked up the path opposite

I waved back and he looked so happy and I thought myself,

"Will he give me one last wave?

I didn't know that would be the last time I would see him.

I really do not have the words to express how much I loved and

Christian, sportsman, servicemen, family man, worthy citizen.

The house was always stocked with his favourite things,

cornflakes, Kit Kats, bacon, mushrooms.

A habit that proved hard for our mother to even after his death.

A habit that proved hard for our mother to break,

You simply learn to live with your grief.

he went to watch the team he laughed and came home to me in a coffin.

Just some of the stories of the 96 and we will hear more during the

remainder of the programme. The 27-year Hillsborough story has

been marked by reports, inquiries, But the inquests in Warrington were

on a different scale altogether. This was a colossal forensic

exercise, lasting two years, the longest jury hearing

in British legal history. The BBC's Ben Schofield has

been in court to hear He's been picking out

the key moments and talking I think there may be a slight

overflow in the crowd at the Liverpool end,

in the Leppings Lane end Two decades after Britain's worst

stadium disaster, The referee is going to have to

stop the game, there is an overflow

behind the goal... My feet weren't touching the floor,

and I couldn't breathe. Witnesses spoke of how lives slipped

away. I couldn't believe that he died,

I remember saying to him over There were claims of failures

by the emergency services and admissions of individual regret,

including from those at the very top As the court investigated

the deaths of the 96, emotion was never far

from the surface. The jury heard from more than 500

witnesses and were taken through around 4,000 pages of

evidence. At times,

they were visibly upset A dangerous crush at the turnstiles,

police have lost control. The jury was asked if the fans

were at fault. Today it ruled the supporters

weren't to blame. When police opened exit gates

to relieve the crush, One sergeant said he could have

prevented the disaster in minutes. All it needed was someone to pass me

a message and say, "We're going to open the gate,

close the tunnel," and I could have sent one of the PCs

back up, The crush at the turnstiles

was transferred inside. According to one expert witness,

terraces which didn't meet safety standards were packed

to twice their safe capacity. Val Yates gave evidence

about her experience in Pen 4. I was hanging off someone's arm,

like their arm was across my throat, But when I looked,

they looked dead to me. David Duckenfield hadn't spoken

in a court for more than 20 years. This is where Mr Duckenfield

sat as he gave evidence for six During that time,

he admitted he made grave mistakes and that his failures directly

caused the 96 deaths. And this is where the bereaved

families sat to try to take

in his evidence. Their silence turned to shock

as they heard Mr Duckenfield admit that he had lied about fans

forcing their way into the ground. One expert said that the police's

reaction was confused Another said the way

the Ambulance Service initially A lot of things went wrong that day,

and a lot of people didn't do things Former police officer Fiona Nicol

witnessed She helped pull 14-year-old

Adam Spearritt from Pen 3 and then After giving evidence,

she met Adam's family. They thanked you in court

through their legal team How can you lose

a child, that awful? The jury heard how scores

of police officers' reports Among them was Sergeant Crawford's -

he wrote that there'd been fewer officers deployed near the tunnel

but only found out that paragraph was deleted when he was visited

by the police In 2014. I wasn't happy,

and I said that at the time It was my observations,

my opinion, And it was removed

because it was criticism. I felt they were trying to blame

and scapegoat us, and if the opportunity had come,

they would throw us to the wolves,

basically, Senior officers denied

there was a cover-up. They said they were acting

on legal advice. Today the inquest jury

returned its conclusions. Jurors weren't allowed

to convict anyone of a crime. The police investigations

into Hillsborough Ben Schofield,

BBC North West As we heard in that report, the

former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield could now face criminal

prosecution. He was the match commander and we have been analysing

his fateful decisions that afternoon.

A grieving father confronts the former policeman who had just

admitted his mistakes caused his son's death.

It was an admission Barry Devonside had waited decades to hear.

He was gutless, and he was spineless in not coming

David Duckenfield was in charge of policing at Hillsborough when 96

It isn't only their relatives who have

contempt for the retired chief superintendent.

I got the feeling that the man was obnoxious,

Gary West served almost 30 years with the South Yorkshire force.

He now runs a gift shop near Rotherham,

but he recalls being a young PC when David Duckenfield first arrived

Basically, we were subjected to something

like a 20 minute one-way conversation about how

it was going to be - it was his way or the highway.

Weeks later, this was Gary in the midst

96 people went to a football match, they didn't go home.

The police should be able to deal with that situation.

The layout around the Hillsborough Stadium has changed

Back in April 1989, there was a wall running along

At the end of the wall were some turnstiles.

Such was the pressure at those turnstiles on the day,

a senior officer radioed the control box to say someone could be injured

or killed unless the pressure was relieved.

At around this point in the wall was a gate,

David Duckenfield ordered that it should be opened.

He did so in order to relieve the pressure outside,

but opening the gate created even more and ultimately

Opposite Gate C was a tunnel leading directly to the central pens.

The pens were already overcrowded, the tunnel should have

The fact that the tunnel wasn't sealed off was down

to David Duckenfield, as was the decision to open Gate C.

But that wasn't the message going out to TV viewers

who were witnessing the whole tragedy unfold before their eyes.

And the story emerges that one of the outside gates leading to that

That was a lie put out by David Duckenfield,

a lie he admitted during the inquests in Warrington.

He also admitted his failure to close the tunnel led

David Duckenfield's role was one among a range issues covered in this

David Duckenfield's role was one among a range

of issues covered in this

questionnaire given to the inquest jurors.

It asked them to decide whether the deaths amounted

It also asked them to decide whether Mr Duckenfield owed the fans

a duty of care and, if so,

whether he breached it to the point of gross negligence.

But for Barry Devonside, David Duckenfield's contrition

during the inquest came far too late.

His teenage son Christopher died at Hillsborough.

I can never forgive him, because if it was me who made

the mistake, I would have said,

out of common decency, to all of the families,

"I'm sorry, I'm so,

so sorry for your loss, and I've made the mistake."

But he didn't have the moral fibre or common decency to come out

Dave Guest, BBC Northwest Tonight.

We can talk to Professor Phillips Greatham who was a key part of the

independent panel a few years ago which led directly to the inquest.

Did the inquest League 2 last two years? -- need to last.

If the responsibility was shown that we demonstrated on the panel then

the inquest could have been to any less of a time. The longest inquest

in legal history, they are their favourite important purpose, but not

to try to exonerate themselves the hearings by putting the families

through that kind of endurance test. When they tried to blame the

supporters, and shift responsibility, debate pick on the

wrong city? The wrong supporters? The wrong supporters? The wrongful

football club? The feeling within the city, the support within the

city, a lot came together that actually assisted the families

directly in being able to deal with authority. What was so important, it

was not just about picking on the wrong people, they knew from the

outset, as I did, as anybody who understood Hillsborough from day

one, so many came back to this city with stories of the truth is they

saw it. So in that sense, people knew the truth was on their side. It

was just so remarkably wrong but it took 27 years. The IPCC is

investigating, there is a cruel investigation, is this the end

today? No, those investigations will lead to civil and criminal cases and

quite rightly so. There is culpability involved, we saw it in

the verdict and in the 25 criticisms made of the for it is this morning

in the verdict -- criticisms of the authorities.

Over the years, some of the mothers who lost children at Hillsborough

have been key figures in the fight for justice.

Among them is Margaret Aspinall - who's son James was among the 96.

Her friend - the actress Sue Johnston -

I would like to say to all of you, thank you so much. You have helped

to give us a good day today. Without you all, we would not have gotten to

where we are. Looking back, did you think that the

women you were then could ever become the campaign you are now?

Never. From day one, the city stood by us. Without them, I could never

have been a campaign. Margaret was a young woman when her

son, James, was killed at Hillsborough.

The penalty area is full with police and supporters, some of the

supporters are lying flat out on the ground and getting attention from

the ambulance. You got the urge to start fighting.

Somebody showed me the newspaper and I thought, oh my God, they are going

to try to blame the fans. We must do something about it, we cannot allow

this to happen. Tell me about James.

He had a fantastic personality, a wonderful son. We did not have much,

although I had in my home was love. I am proud to say that.

On the day of the inquest when you heard evidence from the policeman

who put his coat over James, that told you that games could have been

alive when he threw his coat over him... To put a coat over his face,

what chance did he have? Other what chance did he have? Other

people must have thought he did. My regret, obviously besides the

loss of James, was not being there for my children, watching them grow

up. I feel like I neglected them to do what all the families have had to

do to keep the campaign going for all of these years. I will not say

which one of my children said it, we did not only lose our brother that

day, we lost the mum and dad that we knew. I have met some wonderful,

ordinary people, who have helped us keep this campaign going. Who have

lifted us when we have been on our knees. They helped us to get up. I

have seen the good side of human beings. That is the positive from

Hillsborough. We thank Margaret very much, a very

courageous woman. Sadly another courageous woman who

cannot be with us this Anne Williams, she did in 2013, she did

see the original verdict quashed, and this was her family today.

What we will read about came through. The fans have been

vindicated, quite rightly. It is just sad that Anne cannot be here.

And there's more of Anne Williams's story,

with exclusive access to her family throughout the inquests

We are joined by Jenny Hicks and Steve Kelly. Your loss has been

enormous, hasn't it? The personal loss, yes. I am no

longer a wife and most importantly I am no longer own mother. An enormous

personal loss, not just for me but for my girls.

Steve, from your point of view, your brother, you have lost along the way

also. Someone who would give me advice,

someone I would go to, you must all the things that a brother gives you.

She has been missed for 27 years and will be sadly missed for the rest of

my life. It has been a difficult day of mixed emotions but a triumphant

day. For 27 years their campaign slogan -

their demand - has been But tonight - in the privacy

of their own homes - they'll say to the loved ones

they lost at a football match The family have told me all their

memories of my father but it is not the same, is it?

He first attended football games and Anfield when he was seven. I would

put him on my shoulders. I have lovely memories but sadly that is

all that is left. Memories. He loved his Diadora trainers,

Farah trousers, Lacoste T-shirts and Pringle

jumpers. It did not occur to me

that he could have died. I remember fussing over him,

making his hair look nice I thought that if I could put him

to bed and warm him up, I would hope he would understand

that I have to talk about him because,

you see, My brother's life is like a book

that had a title, it described the characters,

set the scene, and then someone ripped out

the rest of the pages. Temperatures were up and down

through the day