Hillsborough Disaster 1989

Lore & Background

In the following days and weeks, South Yorkshire Police (SYP) fed the press false stories suggesting that football hooliganism and drunkenness by Liverpool supporters had caused the disaster. Blaming Liverpool fans persisted even after the Taylor Report of 1990, which found that the main cause was a failure of crowd control by SYP. Following the Taylor Report, the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled there was no evidence to justify prosecution of any individuals or institutions. The disaster led to a number of safety improvements in the largest English football grounds, notably the elimination of fenced standing terraces in favour of all-seater stadiums in the top two tiers of English football. The first coroner's inquests into the Hillsborough disaster, completed in 1991, concluded with verdicts of 'accidental death' in respect of all the deceased. Families disputed the findings, and fought to have the case re-opened. In 1997 Lord Justice Stuart-Smith concluded that there was no justification for a new inquiry. Private prosecutions brought by the Hillsborough Family Support Group against Duckenfield and his deputy Bernard Murray failed in 2000. In 2009 a Hillsborough Independent Panel was formed to review the evidence. Reporting in 2012, it confirmed Taylor's 1990 criticisms and revealed details about the extent of police efforts to shift blame onto fans, the role of other emergency services and the errors of the first coroner's inquests. The panel's report resulted in the previous findings of accidental death being quashed, and the creation of new coroner's inquests. It also produced two criminal investigations led by police in 2012: Operation Resolve to look into the causes of the disaster, and by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to examine actions by police in the aftermath. The second coroner's inquests were held from 1 April 2014 to 26 April 2016. They ruled that the supporters were unlawfully killed owing to grossly negligent failures by police and ambulance services to fulfil their duty of care. The inquests also found that the design of the stadium contributed to the crush, and that supporters were not to blame for the dangerous conditions. Public anger over the actions of their force during the second inquests led to the suspension of the SYP chief constable, David Crompton, following the verdict. In June 2017, six people were

In Their Own Story

The rain had stopped, but the air inside the Leppings Lane end remained thick with tension. A young man, clutching his scarf tightly against the chill, felt the crush begin not as a push, but as an invisible wall of pressure rising from behind him. He tried to turn back, but there was no space, only the backs of strangers pressed into his chest. The roar of the crowd turned into a muffled hum, then silence, save for the desperate cries of those trapped against the wire fence. Outside, police lines held firm while ambulances were critically delayed, leaving families screaming for help that wouldn't arrive in time.

Reader's Guide

The Hillsborough disaster remains a pivotal event in British football history, leading to the elimination of fenced standing terraces in top-tier English stadiums. The second inquests (2014–2016) ruled the 97 victims were unlawfully killed due to gross negligence by police and ambulance services.

Did You Know?

• The disaster occurred at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989.
• Ninety-four people died on the day; one more died in hospital days later, and two more died in 1993 and 2021 respectively, bringing the total to 97 fatalities.
• The match was abandoned and replayed at Old Trafford in Manchester on 7 May 1989; Liverpool won and went on to win that season's FA Cup.
• The Taylor Report of 1990 found the main cause was a failure of crowd control by South Yorkshire Police.
• The second coroner's inquests (2014–2016) ruled the supporters were unlawfully killed owing to grossly negligent failures by police and ambulance services.