what happened to david duckenfield
The story prompts a boycott of the paper on Merseyside, still upheld by many today. David Duckenfield, a Police Chief Superintendent, who has been accused of the death of 96 people in the tragic incident of the Hillsborough disaster, was found not guilty in charge of manslaughter. "30 years means myths took root about fans being a cause of the disaster, now unequivocally shown by both defence and prosecution evidence to be wrong. Her adult life has been dominated by the quest to find the truth about her father and gain justice for him. announcement by Labour minister Andy Burnham, Hillsborough Independent Panel publishes a report, Theresa May orders a new criminal investigation, The inquest jury concludes that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed. He didn't breach his duty, he did what he was expected to do in difficult circumstances.". 2.48pm: One of those gates, Gate C, is opened. "I would like to know who is responsible for my father's death because someone is.". The jury fails to reach a verdict on Duckenfield. Up to 41 of the dead might have survived had they been given oxygen. david duckenfield cycling. It remained open for more than five minutes. The new Labour government orders a review of the evidence by Lord Justice Stuart-Smith. 2.17pm: Superintendent Roger Marshall requests for Leppings Lane to be closed to traffic. He said he had post traumatic stress disorder, and hid myself away and could not bear the word Hillsborough after the report was published, but then said he had begun to face the truth two years ago, with the help of doctors. Read about our approach to external linking. Matt Hancock and the Lockdown Files: whats happening with the Covid inquiry? Despite this, the retired officer was able to walk away last week in the face of overwhelming evidence and his own admissions. The former chief superintendent of South Yorkshire police, David Duckenfield, leaves after giving evidence to the Hillsborough inquest in Warrington. The Independent Police Complaints Commission launches an investigation into an alleged cover-up by officers in the aftermath of the disaster. And 30 years means many people, especially families, have had to constantly relive their terrible experience. By the following year, more than 700 claims have been lodged and South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield Wednesday FC start making out-of-court settlements without admission of liability. Judge Sir Peter Openshaw rejects a defence application to ban reporting on the Hillsborough trial until the jury delivers its verdict. The collapse of the latest Hillsborough trial comes after 30 years of legal battles over responsibility for the disaster, which claimed 96 lives on 15 April 1989. "With all due respect, my lord, 96 people were found unlawfully killed to a criminal standard," she said. Flags will be flown at half-mast across the city, and the bells of the Town Hall will toll 96 times. It is hard to comprehend how the relatives have maintained their dignity in the face of numerous disappointments and crass treatment from the authorities. Mr Mackrell is fined 6,500 for the offence, sparking outrage from victims relatives who called the penalty shameful. He also admitted to a "terrible lie". Evelyn Newman Duckenfield, center, died at age 81 of covid-19 on Jan 25. The Crown Prosecution Service announces that six people are to be charged with offences in relation to the disaster Mr Duckenfield is charged with manslaughter and former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell for health and safety offences. By November 1991, he was medically retired from South Yorkshire Police on a full pension, two years after being suspended from duty. The High Court rejects an application for judicial review of the inquest verdicts brought by six representative families. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Ch Supt Duckenfield reacted to the build-up of supporters outside the ground by ordering the gates to be opened before the game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Expert policing witness Douglas Hopkins said this was a potential warning sign. What is wrong is that it has taken 30 years to get to this point. Christine, whose father Henry Burke was killed in the disaster, addressed the judge after the verdict was read out. Duckenfield, a retired chief superintendent, 75, denied the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool supporters at the FA Cup semi-final on April 15 1989. Read about our approach to external linking. ", To the families he added: "It has now dawned on me what it means to you, and I am dreadfully sorry. It is true the same stadium exit gate he ordered to be opened at 2.52pm opened minutes earlier without his instruction. Those systems failed on 15 April, 1989, and no one will ever take responsibility for that failure. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Of the 96 people who were crushed, trampled or suffocated, 37 were teenagers, most still at school, many attending their first away game supporting Liverpool. Summing up the case, the judge said: "The deaths of 96 spectators, many of whom were very young, is, of course, a profound human tragedy attended by much anguish and anger which for many has not passed with time. Last year it was confirmed no-one else would face prosecution for the unlawful killing of 96 men, women and children. Because of the length of time between the disaster and his death, the law does not allow Mr Duckenfield to be charged with Mr Blands manslaughter. But he remains a liar whose claims caused hurt, anger and despair. The trial against retired Ch Supt Donald Denton, 83, retired Det Ch Insp Alan Foster, 74, and former solicitor Peter Metcalf, 71, collapses. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Inquests into the 96 football fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have concluded they were unlawfully killed. The decision is taken to withdraw feeding and hydration from 96th victim Tony Bland, who has remained in a persistent vegetative state since receiving his injuries at Hillsborough. Ben Myers QC made the claim in his. 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VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The prosecution in the case alleged Duckenfield, 75, had a 'personal responsibility' for what happened at the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, when 96 people were fatally injured . The report also accuses police chief David Duckenfield, who was responsible for the match, of blunders of the first magnitude. Read about our approach to external linking. News. Christine Burke, whose father Henry Burke was killed in the disaster, stood in the public gallery and addressed the judge after the verdict was read out. The CPS announces that a police officer and a farrier will not be prosecuted over allegations that they fabricated a story about a police horse being burnt with cigarettes at Hillsborough. Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley, who was in overall command of Operation Resolve - the criminal inquiry into the disaster, acknowledged the jury "had a difficult and challenging task". It was a catastrophic and deadly error. A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the verdict did not affect the findings of the Hillsborough inquests, which ruled the victims had been unlawfully killed. Ninety-six men, women and children died following the crush on the terrace but, under the law at the time, there can be no prosecution for the death of the 96th victim Tony Bland as he died more than a year and a day after the disaster. David Duckenfield had been appointed Chief Superintendent of the South Yorkshire Police just 19 days before the disaster. Visit our corporate site www.futureplc.com Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. Tony Evans is a journalist and former football editor of the Times. Crucially, the panel finds that 41 victims did not have signs of the crush injuries originally claimed by pathologists, and so may have been saved. Margaret Aspinall reacts to Mr Duckenfield's trial verdict, Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James was among those who died, said: "The question I'd like to ask all of you and people within the system is who put 96 people in their graves, who is accountable?". They were even more appalled when Openshaw called the defendant a poor chap after Duckenfield was forced to go to hospital with a suspected chest infection. ", "It is important to remember that criminal proceedings have a very different purpose to an inquest.". Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15357db81277bc On 28 November, the remaining jurors acquit Mr Duckenfield of gross negligence manslaughter, as the investigating police officer says the delay between the disaster and the trial should not have been allowed to happen. David Conn. Turnips vs. tomatoes: should salad crisis force UK shoppers back to their roots? The report says a pitch invasion was unlikely at the beginning of a match and there was no effective leadership to organise rescue efforts or relieve pressure from behind the pens where the crush happened. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool supporters. "It is right that an impartial and thorough investigation was carried out, and it is right that a jury was asked to make a judgement of the facts. asked if this was a "ploy" and a step to "sever the link between the opening of the gate and what . Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool supporters. He agreed with Michael Mansfield QC, representing 75 families whose relatives were killed in the lethal crush, that he was practising and persisted in a far-reaching deceit on the day, by lying to Football Association and football club officials about his actions. In the eyes of the law Duckenfield is an innocent man. Paul Robinson, whose brother Steven was killed in the stadium crush, said: "As a family we would like to thank all those who have supported us over the years in our quest for justice and accountability. D avid Duckenfield can finally rest easily. For the sake of the 96 innocent people who died 30 years ago, something like this should never happen again.. It took some tortuous legal logic to create a courtroom environment where this could be allowed to happen. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. Minutes later Duckenfield ordered for that gate to be opened again. Around 2,000 fans enter, many heading down a central tunnel and into already busy terrace pens, leading to the tragic crush. Minimal treatment would have saved many of the victims. Ms Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, thanked those who had supported the families over the past 31 years. But his acquittal does not undo his shameful lie. Duckenfield added that he had no idea what motivated him to blame other people for his mistakes. The Hillsborough match commander apologised to the families. Debate about Hillsborough should not be about football or the city of Liverpool; this is a matter of civic safety that has implications for everyone in British society. The former match commander's solicitor, Ian Lewis, said: "David is of course relieved that the jury has found him not guilty, however his thoughts and sympathies remain with the families of those who lost their loved ones. 91.195.53.16 "With all due respect, my lord, 96 people were found unlawfully killed to a criminal standard," she said. Although there were other causes, the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control, it concludes. David Duckenfield is one of six people to be charged with manslaughter over the deaths resulting from the disaster which claimed the lives of 96 fans. All rights reserved. Judith Moritz, BBC North of England correspondent. Thirty years later he remained a man who sought, via his lawyers, to do the same thing. Mr Duckenfield did not dispute that he ordered the opening of a gate at Hillsborough to let fans in, or that he failed to close the tunnel to the terraces which were already full. High Court judge Lord Goldring chairs the new inquests in Warrington, which last more than two years and becomes the longest jury case in British legal history. That sets the bar very high for the prosecution. Duckenfield had agreed earlier that he had not acted as a reasonably competent match commander on the day, due to the mistakes he made. Sue Hemming, the CPS director of legal services, reacts to the decision by issuing a scathing statement. He vomited inside the bag before he died. The court was played audio of the retired chief superintendent giving evidence to inquests in 2015. Sir, I am the man in overall control, he replied. The inquests become controversial after Dr Stefan Popper limits their scope to events up to 3.15pm on the day of the disaster just nine minutes after the match was halted and excludes the witness evidence of two doctors inside the stadium. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The inquest jury finds that Hillsboroughs 96 victims were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool fans were not responsible for the disaster. The former police chief was barely seen or heard of in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Start your free trial. If things go wrong it is important that investigations explain why and ensure the situation never occurs again. Jimmy Hennessey, a 29-year-old, had negligible medical attention and was placed in a body bag while still alive. During days of intense questioning at the inquests in March 2015, he admitted that he had lied about mistakes he made on the day and had kept that lie going for 26 years and through several legal inquiries. The new Labour governments home secretary, Jack Straw, notes the discussions but said public concern will not be allayed by a reassurance from the Home Office that there is no new evidence and proposes an independent review. The Hillsborough match commander was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter. What's he waiting for? The acquittal of Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has caused shock and anger after a 30-year campaign for criminal accountability for the disaster. England and Wales company registration number 2008885, Subscribe to TheWeek. My first thoughts are with the 96 people who died in the Hillsborough disaster, their families, and the thousands of people who have been deeply affected by the events of 15th April 1989. ", Clive Coleman, BBC legal affairs correspondent. It was David Duckenfield, Preston Crown Court heard, who told FA chiefs fans had gained entry through a forced stadium gate before the crush on the terraces beyond. The Hillsborough Family Support Group mounts a private prosecution of Duckenfield and his deputy, superintendentBernard Murray, for manslaughter. By 2.45pm, thousands of people were pressing into the turnstiles and alongside a large exit gate. An investigation was launched after more than 1,500 police pocket notebooks relevant to the Hillsborough disaster were uncovered weeks before the trial of David Duckenfield was due to start, it. 30 years means evidence has been corroded and some people and organisations cannot answer for their actions because they are no longer with us. Yet this was not a doddery septuagenarian being persecuted inappropriately for actions long buried in the past. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Evidence was put to Duckenfield, who had very limited experience of football policing before he was promoted to command the semi-final only 19 days earlier, from Colin Allen, a Merseyside policeman who went to the match as a Liverpool supporter and survived the crush. The former South Yorkshire Police chief. The acquittal of David Duckenfield is the latest twist in the history of a disaster which has lasted 30 years. At that point, Duckenfield gave the command to open another gate to the stadium and about 2,000 fans then made their way into the ground. Mistake. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans in the 1989 disaster. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. ACC Jackson was alongside Duckenfield within minutes of the match being stopped. Sir Peter Openshaw, the judge, told the jury that the inquests findings which were not discussed in court were quite irrelevant. DeSantis won't say he's running. Hennesseys daughter Charlotte, who was six at the time of the disaster, has had the course of her existence changed. 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He said this as Dolores Steele, Barry Devonside and Trevor Hicks - all of whom lost children, all of whom gave evidence in these trials - were desperately hoping their teenagers would survive. So ashamed, embarrassed, distressed that at a later boardroom meeting of officials he failed to correct his lie - with one inquest witness claiming he actually repeated it.