Hillsborough papers set to be released in Liverpool

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Previously unseen government papers about the Hillsborough disaster will be released to the public later.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died after a crush on the terraces of Sheffield Wednesday's ground on 15 April 1989.

Many relatives believe more lives could have been saved and hope the papers will shed new light on events.

A report has been compiled by the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which has been scrutinising 400,000 pages of documents for the past 18 months.

Victims' families will be among the first to view the report at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral.

A number have been campaigning for more than 20 years for the papers to be released.

Cabinet papers are not usually published in the UK until 30 years after they have been written, but MPs agreed to their full, uncensored disclosure last year.

'Take ownership'

Approval came after 140,000 people signed a government e-petition, set up by Liverpool fan Brian Irvine, to trigger a House of Commons debate on the issue.

The panel, chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool, said it had analysed more than 400,000 pages of documents relating to the disaster from more than 80 organisations.

It will release its findings to relatives of the victims on Wednesday morning before the papers are disclosed to the wider public in the afternoon.

Ninety-five fans were crushed to death and hundreds more injured on the overcrowded terraces of the Hillsborough stadium, which was hosting an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

The 96th victim, Tony Bland, was left in a coma after the disaster and died in 1993.

An independent inquiry led by Lord Chief Justice Taylor found the main cause of the disaster was a failure in crowd control by South Yorkshire Police.

But the victims' families hope the papers released on Wednesday will shed more light as to exactly what caused the tragedy and what happened in the aftermath.

They want to know how the cabinet and then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher responded in the days and months that followed.

Jenni Hicks lost both her daughters at Hillsborough - Victoria, who was 15 and 19-year-old Sarah.

Talking about the way the disaster was handled by police, she said: "They lied and tried to pass on the blame to the Liverpool supporters, to whom they owe a huge apology.

"They should take ownership of their actions that day, there needs to be some kind of accountability for their actions."

She added: "I am pleased that at last all the documents are there for everybody to see and I am hoping there will be enough evidence there to overturn the verdict of accidental death, but on a personal level I think it's going to open up a number of old wounds."

Vigil planned

The original inquest in 1991 returned a verdict of accidental death, ruling all the victims were dead 15 minutes after the game had kicked off at 15:00.

But Anne Williams, the mother of Hillsborough victim Kevin Williams, has called for the government to open a new inquest under section 13 of the Coroner's Act.

She claims Kevin was still alive at 16:00 on the day of the disaster and did not die from traumatic asphyxia.

Mrs Williams started an online petition which was signed by more than 100,000 people.

A statement on the government e-petition website said the Attorney General has agreed he will look at the applications made to his predecessor, to determine whether the evidence available supports an application to the court for a new inquest.

People in Liverpool are being asked to observe a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the 96 who died.

During the silence - held at 15:06 BST to mark the time the game was stopped - the bells at Liverpool Town Hall Municipal Buildings on Dale Street and Liverpool Parish Church will ring out 96 times.

A vigil to mark the release of the papers will take place at St George's Plateau near to Liverpool Lime Street station at 18:00 BST.
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BBC News - Hillsborough papers set to be released in Liverpool

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THE full story behind the long road to justice travelled by families and supporters of the 96 Liverpool FC supporters who died at Hillsborough in 1989

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2012/09/10/hillsborough-the-long-road-to-justice-the-story-so-far-timeline-100252-31806281/

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daily mail story

Cameron to apologise to families of 96 Hillsborough victims after string of failures by the police and Government | Mail Online

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2201898/Cameron-apologise-families-96-Hillsborough-victims-string-failures-police-Government.html

Hillsborough disaster police 'changed junior officers' evidence to show force in better light', documents show, as families of the 96 are shown independent report.
96 died during 1989 FA Cup semi between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest
The PM will make a statement 'of regret' to the Commons at 12.30pm
New documents show that police statements were systematically changed or deleted
Paperwork was covered in notes like ?remove the last page?, ?exclude the last paragraph? and ?rewritten as requested?
Mr Cameron believes families have suffered a 'double injustice' and must get the 'right' response
Report from panel led by Bishop of Liverpool expected to be damning of authorities

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Posted on tw@tter

Steve Rotheram @SteveRotheramMP
I believe documentation/archive website will go live at 2pm tomorrow, so everybody will be able to read the report & access supporting info.

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David Cameron has apologised for the "double injustice" suffered by families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

The Prime Minister was addressing Parliament about a new inquiry's findings - which show police and emergency services made "strenuous attempts" to cover up their own failings and deflect the blame for the disaster onto innocent fans.

"What happened that day was wrong," he told MPs, ahead of the report's official release.

"On behalf of the Government, and indeed of our country, I am profoundly sorry that this double injustice has been left uncorrected for so long ... the Liverpool fans were not the cause of the disaster."

Ninety six Liverpool supporters died in a crush at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium on April 15, 1989, where their team were to meet Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final.

Mr Cameron said the new evidence raised "must be examined", and that it would be studied by the Attorney General before a decision was made on whether to quash victims' initial inquest verdict of accidental death.

The inquiry's findings featured a number of revelations, including:

:: Police record checks were carried out on those who had died in an effort to "impugn" their character.

:: Blood alcohol levels of victims - including children - were taken by the coroner.

:: 116 of the 164 police statements identified for "substantive amendment" were "amended to remove or alter comments unfavourable to South Yorkshire Police".

:: South Yorkshire Ambulance Service documents were "subject to the same process".

:: The turnstiles were inadequate, ground capacity had been significantly over-calculated and the crush barriers failed to meet safety standards.

Introducing the report to the Hillsborough families at the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, Bishop James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool and chairman of the panel, said: "The documents disclosed to and analysed by the panel show that the tragedy should never have happened.

"There were clear operational failures in response to the disaster and in its aftermath there were strenuous attempts to deflect the blame onto the fans.

"The panel's detailed report shows how vulnerable victims, survivors and their families are when transparency and accountability are compromised."

"My colleagues and I were, from the start of our work, impressed by the dignified determination of the families."

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http://www.official-documents.gov.uk.../0581/0581.pdf

The panels report in full

[firemouth]

I have very strong feeling on this. and i know i am not alone.
i had 4 of my, then, family at the match. and 2 in the "cage" as the tragedy unfolded.

its a "~~~~ing" ordeal to get a copy of the report, just at the moment. (sheer weight of download requests, i guess)

so i will reserve my comment till i have had time to read it properly.

my heart is now, and has always been, with the families and the people of Liverpool on this subject.
what's been revealed so far, only strengthens those feelings.

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I posted this in the Liverpool thread but will post it here incase anyone wants to read it that doesn't go in the football forums.


Prime Minister David Cameron has given a statement to Parliament after the release of previously unseen documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster.

Here is his statement in full:

"Today the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Reverend James Jones, is publishing the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

The disaster at the Hillsborough football stadium on 15 April 1989 was one of the greatest peacetime tragedies of the last century. Ninety-six people died as a result of a crush in the Leppings Lane Terrace at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

There was a public inquiry at the time by Lord Justice Taylor which found - and I quote - that the main cause of the disaster was 'a failure of police control'. But the inquiry didn't have access to all the documents that have since become available.

It didn't properly examine the response of the emergency services, it was followed by a deeply controversial inquest and by a media version of events that sought to blame the fans.

As a result, the families have not heard the truth and have not found justice.

That is why the previous government - and in particular - the Rt Hon Member for Leigh was right to set up this panel.

And it is why this government insisted that no stone should be left unturned and that all papers should be made available to the Bishop of Liverpool and his team.

Mr Speaker, in total over 450,000 pages of evidence have been reviewed.

It was right that the families should see the report first.

As a result the government has only had a very limited amount of time to study the evidence so far. But it is already very clear that many of the report's findings are deeply distressing.

There are three areas in particular.

The failure of the authorities to help protect people. The attempt to blame the fans. And the doubt cast on the original coroner' s inquest.

Let me take each in turn.

Findings: Failure of the authorities
First, there is new evidence about how the authorities failed.

There is a trail of new documents which show the extent to which the safety of the crowd at Hillsborough was 'compromised at every level'.

The ground failed to meet minimum standards and the 'deficiencies were well known'.

The turnstiles were inadequate.

The ground capacity had been significantly over-calculated.

The crush barriers failed to meet safety standards.

There had been a crush at exactly the same match the year before.

And today's report shows clearly that lessons had not been learnt.

The report backs up again the key finding of the Taylor Report on police failure.

But it goes further by revealing for the first time the shortcomings of the ambulance and emergency services response.

The major incident plan was not fully implemented.

Rescue attempts were held back by failures of leadership and co-ordination.

And, significantly, new documents today show there was a delay from the emergency services when people were being crushed and killed.

Findings: Attempt to blame the fans
Second, the families have long believed that some of the authorities attempted to create a completely unjust account of events that sought to blame the fans for what happened.

Mr Speaker, the families were right.

The evidence in today's report includes briefings to the media and attempts by the police to change the record of events.

On the media. Several newspapers reported false allegations that fans were drunk and violent and stole from the dead.

The Sun's report sensationalised these allegations under a banner headline "The Truth".

This was clearly wrong and caused huge offence, distress and hurt.

News International has co-operated with the panel and, for the first time, today's report reveals that the source for these despicable untruths was a Sheffield news agency reporting conversations with South Yorkshire Police and Irvine Patnick, the then MP for Sheffield Hallam.

The report finds that this was part of police efforts - and I quote - 'to develop and publicise a version of events that focused on allegations of drunkenness, ticketlessness and violence.'

In terms of changing the record of events, we already know that police reports were significantly altered but the full extent was not drawn to Lord Justice Taylor's attention.

Today's report finds that 164 statements were significantly amended - and 116 explicitly removed negative comments about the policing operation - including its lack of leadership.

The report also makes important findings about particular actions taken by the police and coroner while investigating the deaths.

There is new evidence which shows that police officers carried out police national computer checks on those who had died in an attempt - and I quote from the report - 'to impugn the reputations of the deceased.'

The coroner took blood alcohol levels from all of the deceased including children.

The panel finds no rationale whatsoever for what it regards as an 'exceptional' decision.

The report states clearly that the attempt of the inquest to draw a link between blood alcohol and late arrival was 'fundamentally flawed'.

And that alcohol consumption was 'unremarkable and not exceptional for a social or leisure occasion'.

Mr Speaker, over all these years questions have been raised about the role of the government - including whether it did enough to uncover the truth.

It is certainly true that some of the language in the government papers published today was insensitive.

But having been through every document - and every government document including cabinet minutes will be published - the panel found no evidence of any government trying to conceal the truth.

At the time of the Taylor Report the then prime minister was briefed by her private secretary that the defensive and - I quote - 'close to deceitful' behaviour of senior South Yorkshire officers was 'depressingly familiar'.

And it is clear that the then government thought it right that the chief constable of South Yorkshire should resign.

But as the Rt Hon Member for Leigh has rightly highlighted, governments then and since have simply not done enough to challenge publicly the unjust and untrue narrative that sought to blame the fans.

Findings: Original coroner's inquest
Third, and perhaps most significantly of all, the Bishop of Liverpool's report presents new evidence which casts significant doubt over the adequacy of the original inquest.

The coroner - on the advice of pathologists - believed that victims suffered traumatic asphyxia leading to unconsciousness within seconds and death within a few minutes.

As a result he asserted that beyond 3.15pm there were no actions that could have changed the fate of the victims and he limited the scope of the inquest accordingly.

But by analysing post mortem reports the panel have found that 28 did not have obstruction of blood circulation and 31 had evidence of heart and lungs continuing to function after the crush.

This means that individuals in those groups could have had potentially reversible asphyxia beyond 3.15pm, in contrast to the findings of the coroner and a subsequent judicial review.

And the panel states clearly that 'it is highly likely that what happened to those individuals after 3.15pm was significant' in determining whether they died.

Response
Mr Speaker, the conclusions of this report will be harrowing for many of the families affected.

Anyone who has lost a child knows the pain never leaves you.

But to read a report years afterwards that says - and I quote - 'a swifter, more appropriate, better focused and properly equipped response had the potential to save more lives' can only add to the pain.

It is for the attorney general to decide whether to apply to the High Court to quash the original inquest and seek a new one.

In this capacity he acts independently of government. And he will need to examine the evidence himself.

But it is clear to me that the new evidence in today's report raises vital questions which must be examined.

And the attorney general has assured me that he will examine this new evidence immediately and reach a decision as fast as possible.

But ultimately it is for the High Court to decide.

It is also right that the House should have an opportunity to debate the issues raised in this report fully.

My Rt Hon Friend the home secretary will be taking forward a debate in government time. And this will happen when the House returns in October.

Apology
Mr Speaker, I want to be very clear about the view the government takes about these findings and why after 23 years this matters so much, not just for the families but for Liverpool and for our country as a whole.

Mr Speaker what happened that day - and since - was wrong.

It was wrong that the responsible authorities knew Hillsborough did not meet minimum safety standards and yet still allowed the match to go ahead.

It was wrong that the families have had to wait for so long - and fight so hard - just to get to the truth.

And it was wrong that the police changed the records of what happened and tried to blame the fans.

We ask the police to do difficult and often very dangerous things on our behalf.

And South Yorkshire Police is a very different organisation today from what it was then.

But we do the many, many honourable police men and women a great disservice if we try to defend the indefensible.

It was also wrong that neither Lord Justice Taylor nor the coroner looked properly at the response of the other emergency services.

Again, these are dedicated people who do extraordinary things to serve the public.

But the evidence from today's report makes very difficult reading.

Mr Speaker, with the weight of the new evidence in this report, it is right for me today as prime minister to make a proper apology to the families of the 96 for all they have suffered over the past 23 years.

Indeed, the new evidence that we are presented with today makes clear that these families have suffered a double injustice.

The injustice of the appalling events - the failure of the state to protect their loved ones and the indefensible wait to get to the truth.

And the injustice of the denigration of the deceased - that they were somehow at fault for their own deaths.

On behalf of the government - and indeed our country - I am profoundly sorry for this double injustice that has been left uncorrected for so long.

Why this matters for Merseyside and the country
Mr Speaker, because of what I have described as the second injustice - the false version of events - not enough people in this country understand what the people of Merseyside have been through.

This appalling death toll of so many loved ones lost was compounded by an attempt to blame the victims.

A narrative about hooliganism on that day was created which led many in the country to accept that it was somehow a grey area.

Today's report is black and white.

The Liverpool fans 'were not the cause of the disaster'.

The panel has quite simply found 'no evidence' in support of allegations of 'exceptional levels of drunkenness, ticketlessness or violence among Liverpool fans' and 'no evidence that fans had conspired to arrive late at the stadium' and 'no evidence that they stole from the dead and dying'.

Mr Speaker, I'm sure the whole House will want to thank the Bishop of Liverpool and his panel for all the work they have done.

And I am sure that all sides will join with me in paying tribute to the incredible strength and dignity of the Hillsborough families and the community which has backed them in their long search for justice.

While nothing can ever bring back those who have been lost with all the documents revealed and nothing held back the families, at last, have access to the truth.

And I commend this statement to the House."

[johnboy1974]

Only proves what the good folk of liverpool have known all along- That the police were criminally negligent on the day and tried to deflect the blame from themselves by covering it up. Might bring some closure for the families but personally i would not blame them for pursueing the police through the courts now.

[Diogenes]

I've been discussing this on another forum and to my astonishment there are still members of the police force who seek to proportion blame on those who died or at least make pathetic attempts at negating the subsequent cover up and mendacity by those with power.

Unbelievable!

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Not really unbelievable mate more, expected. I'm not in the least surprised and i don't for one second believe that ~~~~ing rat Mckenzie meant a single word of his pathetic attempt at an apology.

[maca]

Will all statements given by fans who where in the pens that day have been kept ?

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Yea i think all statements were kept.