Hillsborough - Trial of David Duckenfield has been unable to reach a verdict, Graham Mackrell found guilty

Parksey wrote:Whilst I am biased as I am a working class Northern football fan...

It may just be the chip on my shoulder, but had this happened at a ground in London, or at Twickenham or Lords, we wouldn't have seen such slurs happen, or waited so long for the truth.

This, for me, just underlines the slightly bizarre position that the Sun takes on, well, everything. It paints itself as some sort of voice of the people, but it's anything but. If a downmarket tabloid *isn't* representing the views of northern football fans, to name but one group, then who the strawberry float is buying it?

On the media, though, it has to be said, the Guardian is absolutely nailing its coverage of this.

This is a comment in addition to the piece I linked to yesterday:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... solidarity

It takes a bit of a step back and looks at the wider implications of the verdict and the damning indictment of our society over the past 30/40 years that this represents.

The BBC Magazine is also a good, if tough read.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36081358

I had no idea about King Kenny's acts after this happened. I knew about him being called up for the case a few years back.

Truly a man of the people.

Having read a bit more about the whole thing I've realised that my opinions about the tragedy are basically wrong, I wasn't aware of the scale of the police cover up or the frankly disgusting practice of altering blood sample results to support the 'drunken fans' story the police and media kept telling the public.

Ironhide wrote:Having read a bit more about the whole thing I've realised that my opinions about the tragedy are basically wrong, I wasn't aware of the scale of the police cover up or the frankly disgusting practice of altering blood sample results to support the 'drunken fans' story the police and media kept telling the public.

Fair enough mate.

The 'fans were to blame' thing really did get very ingrained into society's thinking. The Police might have done a horrendous job of protecting lives, but they did an incredible job at protecting themselves and their careers.

On a wider note, the Serial Podcast (and its more in-depth follow-up, Undisclosed), as well as Making a Murderer, has got me really interested in miscarriages of justice. Based on everything I've heard about the Adnan Syed case, I'm 99% sure he was fitted up for it. If Police can get away, for 27 years, with continued lies and cover-ups on the scale of Hillsborough (a televised event involving thousands of people), it's no wonder they can ruin the lives of individuals relatively easily.

I have nothing against the police at all: there are plenty of good police, just as there are plenty of good journalists and plenty of good politicians. However, this really shows how easily people can be corrupted when their neck is on the line.

Just read the cause of death list on the BBC News site. Grim. I can't imagine how horrific it must have been to be trampled or crushed to death by other people that are also being trampled or crushed to death.

South Yorkshire police chief suspended over Hillsborough verdict

Suspension of David Crompton comes after the force was heavily criticised for its conduct over 1989 disaster

David Crompton has been suspended as chief constable of South Yorkshire police following the Hillsborough inquest findings.

Crompton’s force had been criticised for its conduct during the inquest, which found that 96 Liverpool fans had been unlawfully killed.

Following the verdicts on Tuesday, Crompton admitted the force got the policing of the match “catastrophically wrong” and “unequivocally” accepted the inquest jury’s conclusions.

The news came hours after Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, had described Crompton’s position as untenable. Burnham’s comments were made in the House of Commons as MPs discussed the fallout from Tuesday’s inquest verdicts about the 1989 disaster.

South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, said he had been left with no choice other than to suspend Crompton with immediate effect.

Billings said : “I have reached this decision with a heavy heart following discussions with David both in the run-up to and following the delivery of the Hillsborough verdicts.

“My decision is based on the erosion of public trust and confidence referenced in statements and comments in the House of Commons this lunchtime, along with public calls for the chief constable’s resignation from a number of quarters.”

He said he acted because of the “difference of perception” between the chief constable and Hillsborough families about questions the force’s lawyers had raised about the conduct of fans on the day of the tragedy in 1989.

Billings said the row was “proving an obstacle to our going forward” and came despite Crompton being due to retire in November.

The announcement of the suspension came barely four hours after concerns were raised in the Commons about the force’s conduct at the inquest.

Burnham, launched a blistering attack on the force’s leadership and conduct at the inquest.

Burnham’s speech was greeted with applause by the Labour benches, and seemed to catch the national mood in the wake of the verdicts.

He and the families were angered by the police lawyers at the inquest, acting on instruction from the force. Burnham said: “The much bigger question for the South Yorkshire police to answer today is this: why, at this inquest, did they go back on their 2012 public apology?”

Burnham added: “Shamefully, the cover-up continued in this Warrington court room.

“Millions of pounds of public money were spent re-telling discredited lies.”

By doing so, the Commons heard, even more agony was piled on the families’ suffering of almost three decades.

Burnham told MPs: “If the police had chosen to maintain its apology, this inquest would have been much shorter. But they didn’t and they put the families through hell once again.”

“This force hasn’t learned and hasn’t changed. But I do blame their leadership and culture, which seems rotten to the core.”

“So will the home secretary now order the fundamental reform of this force and consider all potential options?”

Just after midday on Wednesday South Yorkshire police issued a fresh statement to try to head off already fierce criticism of its conduct at the inquest.

In it it said sorry for “perceived” differences between an apology it had issued in 2012, and conduct at the inquest.

In Wednesday’s statement, South Yorkshire police said: “We have never sought, at any stage, to defend the failures of SYP or its officers. Nevertheless, these failures had to be put into the context of other contributory factors. In other words, where do the failings of SYP stand in the overall picture?

“We are sorry if our approach has been perceived as at odds with our earlier apology, this was certainly not our intention.”

http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... gh-verdict

Ironhide wrote:Having read a bit more about the whole thing I've realised that my opinions about the tragedy are basically wrong, I wasn't aware of the scale of the police cover up or the frankly disgusting practice of altering blood sample results to support the 'drunken fans' story the police and media kept telling the public.

I thought like you did once. And also like you, I read more into it and changed my tack. There's no shame in admitting you've made a mistake.

It's a bit depressing when you read about the previous police inspector who was in charge, but was replaced for no reason weeks earlier. He apparently was on the ball and completely understood the stadium/risks/etc and spent every second trying to foresee issues before they arose whenever he managed big matches.

This guy that came in had no real experience and didn't bother to even get up to speed on anything. He seemed pretty arrogant and just rolled up and winged it, then lied when he knew he'd screwed up.

So why has David Compton been suspended, I have had a Google but can't see anything that shows his involvement in the tragedy. Is it just because he was leading the police during the period of the inquest?

I have seen he wrote an email saying the Liverpool fans version wasn't the "truth" but taken in context it doesn't seem a sackable comment.

Edit: I took the context of his comment to mean that the truth required testimony from all involved and not to allow emotion to overtake evidence. I don't believe that he was involved in anymore than attempting to mount some kind of defence.

Somebody Else's Problem wrote:
Ironhide wrote:Having read a bit more about the whole thing I've realised that my opinions about the tragedy are basically wrong, I wasn't aware of the scale of the police cover up or the frankly disgusting practice of altering blood sample results to support the 'drunken fans' story the police and media kept telling the public.

I thought like you did once. And also like you, I read more into it and changed my tack. There's no shame in admitting you've made a mistake.

I don't think a lot of people knew the whole story until a few years ago. Growing up as a football fan in London in the 90s I vaguely knew about Hillsborough, but I didn't really know about it. I wasn't aware of the full scale of the pain that still existed in the city until I actually moved to Liverpool in 2003, and it wasn't until a few years after that that the tragedy came back into the national public consciousness with calls for reviews and inquiries being national news.

It's all out in the open now for everyone to see, and the families and the city can finally start to move on. Well done to them all.

Looking to the wider future of the game, this should also void (or at least weaken) a lot of the Taylor Report, seeing as it was based on inaccurate testimony from South Yorkshire Police. I think a new review of this is due in light of these findings, and the quarter of a century of technological advances in stadium design and ticket access. Apparently it also made recommendations about ticket prices, so it's clearly a document that is fit for purpose...

Pardon my possible ignorance, I thought the Taylor report was largely accurate in its conclusions (as in, the police 'evidence' was rejected even then) but somehow didn't lead to anything?

Anyway, obviously the verdict is some measure of justice but I think David Conn was quite right on Football Weekly when he made the point that still no one has been held accountable. This is hardly the end of the matter!

Pancake wrote:Pardon my possible ignorance, I thought the Taylor report was largely accurate in its conclusions (as in, the police 'evidence' was rejected even then) but somehow didn't lead to anything?

Anyway, obviously the verdict is some measure of justice but I think David Conn was quite right on Football Weekly when he made the point that still no one has been held accountable. This is hardly the end of the matter!

It rejected the police account at the time, but apparently new evidence of police dishonesty was revealed at the inquest (according to the Guardian article anyway). It begs the question of why it took this long to reach this conclusion when they knew SYP were talking bollocks back then...

bear wrote:

twitter.com/TimesPictures/status/725104360590598144

Wonder why they changed it? Internal or external pressure?

I suspect Private Eye in two weeks will cover it.

The Guardian ran a story about it already. The sport writers are meant to have kicked off which isnt very surprising. Henry Winter, who was their big signing this year, was by all accounts instrumental in getting that scrote Kelvin MacKenzie chucked out of the Telegraph after one column.

Hillsborough: South Yorkshire police 'tried to spin' inquests evidence

Exclusive: Media officer employed by force says she was instructed to emphasise allegations of fans’ misbehaviour to press

http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... h-inquests

Hillsborough Documentary at 9pm tonight on BBC2, some may have already seen it online as it's the ESPN 30 For 30 Doc -

Documentary exploring Britain's worst stadium disaster, in which 96 people were killed and hundreds more injured. The tragic events of April 15, 1989, are recounted in depth, with personal testimony from survivors, family members and police officers, many of whom are speaking publicly for the first time. The programme also explores the aftermath of the tragedy, looking at the 27-year campaign for justice fought on behalf of those who died.

http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/ ... llsborough

It's very well made but possibly the most depressing hour of TV I've ever seen. Does this mean we are allowed documentaries on the subject now? They were previously banned while the investigation was ongoing.

Hillsborough suspect files passed to Crown Prosecution Service

Files on 23 people and organisations involved in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

An inquests jury concluded last April that the 96 victims of the FA Cup semi-final tragedy were unlawfully killed.

The jury found match the commander, Ch Supt David Duckenfield, responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence.

Prosecutors will now decide whether to bring criminal charges against the unnamed 23.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-me ... e-38582111

Ex-Ch Supt David Duckenfield faces Hillsborough manslaughter charge

Former Ch Supt David Duckenfield faces a manslaughter charge and five others will be prosecuted over the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

Mr Duckenfield was the South Yorkshire Police (SYP) match commander at the FA Cup semi-final when 96 Liverpool fans were fatally injured in a crush.
He faces the charge of manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 fans. Former SYP Ch Insp Norman Bettison will be charged over alleged lies in the aftermath.

Victims' relatives have been informed.

More to follow.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-me ... e-40419819

David Duckenfield charged with manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 people. For legal reasons, Mr Duckenfield cannot be charged over the death of the 96th victim Tony Bland, as he died fours years after the disaster, prosecutors said. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) must apply to the High Court to lift an order imposed after he was prosecuted privately in 1999, which must be removed before he can be charged.

Former Chief Constable Norman Bettison is charged with four offences of misconduct in public office relating to telling alleged lies about his involvement in the aftermath of Hillsborough and the culpability of fans.

Graham Henry Mackrell, who was Sheffield Wednesday Football Club’s company secretary and safety officer at the time, is charged with two offences of contravening a term of condition of a safety certificate contrary to the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 and one offence of failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of other persons who may have been affected by his acts or omissions at work under the Health and Safety at Work etc.
Act 1974. These offences relate to alleged failures to carry out his duties as required.

Peter Metcalf, who was the solicitor acting for the South Yorkshire Police during the Taylor Inquiry and the first inquests, is charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice relating to material changes made to witness statements.

Former Chief Superintendent Donald Denton is charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice relating to material changes made to witness statements.

Former Detective Chief Inspector Alan Foster is charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice relating to material changes made to witness statements.

The defendants, other than David Duckenfield, will appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 9 August 2017.

Hillsborough - Trial of David Duckenfield has been unable to reach a verdict, Graham Mackrell found guilty

Who is online

Affiliates