what happened to david duckenfield
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. But he now admits the crush occurred after he ordered an exit gate to be opened allowing 2,000 Liverpool fans to enter the stadium in just five minutes. It remained open for more than five minutes. Duckenfield was a public servant who failed in his basic duties to the people he was charged with protecting. And 30 years means many people, especially families, have had to constantly relive their terrible experience.". I seek guidance from people with greater experience and expertise than me. But this influx caused further crushing inside the stadium, with fans at the front attempting to climb onto the pitch to safety. ", Clive Coleman, BBC legal affairs correspondent. Shortly before kick-off, in an attempt to ease overcrowding outside the entrance turnstiles, the police match commander, David Duckenfield, ordered exit gate C to be opened, leading to an influx of supporters entering the pens. In July 2000, Murray is acquitted after a six-week trial. No one should have to suffer the emotional damage that comes with such a burden. Duckenfields acquittal underlines that no one has been held responsible for Hillsborough. Sir Norman Bettison, the former police chief constable accused of blaming fans for the disaster, has all four criminal charges against him dropped. The farriers prosecution for perverting the course of justice is found not to be in the public interest and there is insufficient evidence against the police officer. "We, the families, have fought for 30 years valiantly.". asked if this was a "ploy" and a step to "sever the link between the opening of the gate and what . A handwritten note apparently written by Tony Blair, asks why? D avid Duckenfield can finally rest easily. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. lifts the historic stay of further prosecution on Mr Duckenfield, fails to reach a verdict on the charges against Mr Duckenfield. David Duckenfield was in charge when a crush developed in terraced pens on 15 April 1989 . david duckenfield cycling. Both . 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. The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. He admitted everything at the 2015 inquests into the disaster, saying that his professional failings led to the deaths of 96 innocent men, women and children. Amid growing calls for transparency, the Hillsborough Independent Panel is set up. 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. Here is how events have unfolded in the 30 years since the disaster. Visit our corporate site www.futureplc.com Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. The matchday commander at Hillsborough was found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter charges pertaining to his role in the football disaster 30 years ago. "Over this period, I have had to come to terms with reality, and that is why, over the period, you might say I dug my head in the sand, didn't admit things to myself, but I am now very much older, very much wiser, and very much more understanding of the events of the day and have decided to tell the whole truth. 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. Despite having a greater following than Nottingham Forest, Liverpools supporters were allocated the smaller end of the stadium, Leppings Lane, so that their route would not bring them into contact with Forest fans arriving from the south. "We have immense admiration for the Hillsborough families, survivors and campaigners for what they have achieved and our thoughts remain with them and those 96 Liverpool supporters who went to watch their team and never came home.". Mr Duckenfield said he felt the diagnosis was a "sign of weakness" and tried to "conceal" his conditions from family and colleagues but the publication of the report by the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012 and a TV programme he had seen about the disaster's effect on the families prompted him to finally tell the truth. Duckenfield added that he had no idea what motivated him to blame other people for his mistakes. And yet 23 minutes later he suggested it was the supporters, some of whom were dying beneath him, who were responsible. One family member shouted: "Stitched up again.". The following March, a Home Office meeting consideres material submitted by the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG) calling for a new inquiry but advice to the attorney general says the 3.15pm cut-off had been fully justifiable. HILLSBOROUGH DISASTER- DAVID DUCKENFIELD FOUND NOT GUILTY, David Duckenfield was in charge the day 96 Liverpool fans were killed at Hillsborough, David Duckenfield has been cleared of gross negligence manslaughter, Hillsborough football ground shown to the inquests, Police and fans on the pitch at Hillsborough football stadium in Sheffield on April 15 1989, The disaster claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans. The FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest ends in tragedy as a crush at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesdays Hillsborough stadium leads to the death of 96 Liverpool fans, with more than 750 people injured. 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. The 96 Liverpool supporters unlawfully killed at Hillsborough. He said this minutes after he - the man tasked with keeping those people safe - had ordered for exit gates to be opened. But an inquest is not a criminal court, and so it was for another jury to decide whether Mr Duckenfield's mistakes amounted to gross negligence manslaughter. Answering questions from Mansfield, Duckenfield said, however, that he did believe Liverpool fans turned up late and drunk to the match, and that Merseyside police failed to tell the South Yorkshire force that Liverpool fans were in the habit of doing that. As fans were dying he suggested they were responsible for the crush that was a consequence of his decision. "I would like to know who is responsible for my father's death because someone is.". After the verdict a CPS statement said that the decision of the jury does not affect the findings in the inquest which ruled the victims of the tragedy were unlawfully killed. In the eyes of the law Duckenfield is an innocent man. acquit Mr Duckenfield of gross negligence manslaughter, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, Extra 25% off kitchen appliances using this AO discount code, 35 off 1st orders with this Soak & Sleep voucher code & orders 100+, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Sleep expert shares exact time children should go to bed, 11 things we learnt at an explosive Liverpool Council budget meeting, Police say body found in search for missing baby in Sussex, Eccleston skier races into a podium finish at Italian competition, Last minute donation saves Wirral flat full of unique artwork at auction, CQC publish findings on Ainsdale Court care home in Rainhill, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. The jury was shown pictures of fans in the Leppings Lane end of the stadium as the disaster unfolded, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Read about our approach to external linking. They applied to have the case against them dismissed after a month of evidence in a trial that had been awaited for decades by the victims families. "With all due respect, my lord, 96 people were found unlawfully killed to a criminal standard," she said. The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) find there is sufficient evidence to charge them with neglect of duty but Mr Duckenfield is on sick leave during the process, and retires on medical grounds in November 1991. More than 2,000 fans then entered through exit gate C, with many heading for the tunnel ahead of them, which led to the central pens of the terrace where the crush happened. 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. He will now be able to resume his life in retirement on the south coast. For a person to be found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter the prosecution has to prove that he - or she - owed a duty of care to the victim and negligently breached it. "I am really angry but I am trying be calm for these families who have suffered," she said. 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. David Duckenfield, who as an inexperienced chief superintendent in the South Yorkshire police was in charge of the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, admitted he had not told the whole truth about mistakes he made on the day, through a succession of legal inquiries since 1989. What is the point?. The court heard the chief superintendent ordered the opening of exit gates at the Leppings Lane end of the ground at 2.52pm, eight minutes before kick-off, after the area outside the turnstiles became dangerously overcrowded. Covid cut it short. All this had been comprehensively dismissed at the inquests. Mr Duckenfield, now 71, had claimed that after a large crowd built up outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium, Liverpool fans had broken in, causing a rush of people to flood into the fenced-in terraces. Three more defendants are still facing charges relating to Hillsborough: retired police officers Donald Denton, 80, and Alan Foster, 73, and police solicitor Peter Metcalf, 68, will all stand trial later this year. Labour MP Andy Burnhams address to the 20th anniversary memorial service is interrupted by chants of Justice for the 96. Only one ambulance made it onto the pitch; 42 remained in a queue outside. The report also accuses police chief David Duckenfield, who was responsible for the match, of blunders of the first magnitude. It was a catastrophic and deadly error. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans in the 1989 disaster. But he remains a liar whose claims caused hurt, anger and despair. What is wrong is that it has taken 30 years to get to this point. The prosecution alleged Mr Duckenfield had a "personal responsibility" for what happened at the match. Last year it was confirmed no-one else would face prosecution for the unlawful killing of 96 men, women and children. Gate C, leading to the Leppings Lane terraces, is opened. 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. A jury found the former South. Duckenfields ordeal ended at Preston crown court on Thursday. Click to reveal The inquest heard Mr Duckenfield testify he was struggling to sleep in the run-up to the 1989 Taylor Inquiry, and claimed to be drinking "half tumblers of whisky" to "find the courage" to read statements. Relatives and friends of the victims were gathered at the Cunard Building on Liverpool's waterfront when the verdict was announced. Abuse of process arguments for other defendants fails. Supt Murray assures him they will, 2.47pm: Supt Marshall requests, for the first time, for stadium gates to be opened at the Leppings Lane end. Something went wrong, please try again later. That cowardly deceit set the tone for everything that followed. The scrutiny goes ahead but in February 1998, Lord Justice Stuart-Smith rejects grounds for quashing the accidental death verdicts or bringing prosecutions. Bereaved families are angered that the inquests cannot consider the emergency response after that point, and an accidental death verdict is returned on 26 March 1991. It may sound like a clich to say lessons must be learnt, but todays verdict means this has never been more relevant or important. inquest verdicts brought by six representative families. 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. He said this as. "The journey that reached today's stage, and will continue, is testament to the perseverance and determination of all involved in the ongoing campaign for justice," the club said. The stories of personal loss and individual pain have too often been overlooked. Because any time you or your loved ones attend a public event it should be with the knowledge that the people responsible for maintaining order and safety will be competent. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Reaction as David Duckenfield is cleared of manslaughter, argued the case against him was "deeply unfair", Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Prince Andrew offered Frogmore Cottage - reports, Beer and wine sales in Canada fall to all-time low, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US. 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. One of the many tragedies of the Hillsborough disaster is the first explanation for what claimed the lives of those men, women and children was a suggestion it was Liverpool supporters who were responsible. The match commander on the day, David Duckenfield, was cleared of gross. 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. Following the broadcast of a television dramatisation of the Hillsborough disaster, the Home Offices Operational Policing Policy Unit writes to Michael Howard, then home secretary, saying it raises the suggestion that some of the victims were still alive at 3.30pm. BBC News Inquests into the 96 football fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have concluded they were unlawfully killed. It is rejected by Lord Justice McCowan in the divisional court. Mr Mackrell is fined 6,500 for the offence, sparking outrage from victims relatives who called the penalty shameful. Supporters were not responsible for what happened. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Why Covid lab-leak theory is now being taken seriously, 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. By November 1991, he was medically retired from South Yorkshire Police on a full pension, two years after being suspended from duty. He didn't breach his duty, he did what he was expected to do in difficult circumstances.". What's he waiting for? Prosecutors allege Duckenfield should have taken action to close the tunnel that led to those pens, a tactic his lawyer said he and other experienced officers were unaware of, but which the court heard had been used at Hillsborough before. Benjamin Myers QC told the jury his client had become "the focus of blame". Flags will be flown at half-mast across the city, and the bells of the Town Hall will toll 96 times. Thirty years later he remained a man who sought, via his lawyers, to do the same thing. Benjamin Myers QC, defending Duckenfield, told the jury he had been a "target of blame" for the disaster. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. 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. The city of Liverpool will today remember the 96 football fans who died at Hillsborough stadium, 30 years to the day since the disaster. Hillsboroughs final victim, 22-year-old Tony Bland, dies after being taken off life support, pushing the death toll up to 96. The jury did, however, reach a majority verdict to convict Graham Mackrell, Sheffield Wednesdays then-secretary and safety officer, of failing to take reasonable care of Liverpool supporters safety, by allocating only seven turnstiles for the 10,100 people. That should never have happened, and we will continue to learn the . Lord Justice Peter Taylors interim report into the tragedy puts the blame on South Yorkshire Police. Read about our approach to external linking. The prosecution argued that, back then, Duckenfield was looking to shift blame. David Duckenfield can finally rest easily. The Hillsborough match commander apologised to the families. About 45 family members watched the verdict from the Cunard building in Liverpool, where the trial was screened. "But, as both counsel have advised you and I will now direct you, as you go about your duty you must put aside your emotions and sympathies, either for the bereaved families or indeed for Mr Duckenfield, and decide the case with a cold, calm and dispassionate review of the evidence that you have heard in court.". And a jury of seven women and three men agreed with him when they cleared the 75-year-old of gross negligence manslaughter. I hoped it would go away. There will be a service at the Anglican cathedral, and a minutes silence will be observed at 3.06pm the moment the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was stopped as the scale of the disaster became apparent. "Everybody knew the truth, the fans and police knew the truth that we'd opened the gates," he said. The full report reinforces criticism of the police while its recommendations lead to the introduction of all-seater stadiums and the removal of perimeter fencing around grounds. Hennesseys daughter Charlotte, who was six at the time of the disaster, has had the course of her existence changed. Sue Hemming, the CPS director of legal services, reacts to the decision by issuing a scathing statement. The High Court rejects an application for judicial review of the inquest verdicts brought by six representative families. The jury found match commander - former Ch Supt David. Matt Hancock and the Lockdown Files: whats happening with the Covid inquiry? I apologise unreservedly to the families and I hope they believe it is a very, very sincere apology. Tony Evans is a journalist and former football editor of the Times. Start your free trial. Weakest since 2012: UK house price average falls to 257,406. David Duckenfield was police match commander at the Hillsborough disaster He went on trial for gross negligence manslaughter over the deaths of fans Following a retrial, he was cleared today . 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. 2023 BBC. And despite the words of regret expressed in 2015, this included the resurrection of shameless claims about ticketless and late supporters. Mr Duckenfield's wife, Ann, went over to comfort her husband in the courtroom after the verdict was read out. The families watching in a conference room in Liverpool were aghast. David Duckenfield, who was the chief superintendent in charge of the game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, told FA officials at 3.15pm that "a gate had been forced and there had been an. He said: "He has a resilient, passive and expressionless external presentation which gives no indication of his state of mind so don't draw an adverse inference against him.". 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