As a crowd gets busier and busier, though, people are coming in all around you and you’re slowly but surely getting moved forward, so you’d be a bit further down with another crush barrier in front of you. There was another problem with the tunnel, though, in that it was dark inside; and it initially sloped slightly upwards in the dimming light of the entrance before falling away downwards into the dark and a one-in-six gradient. The memories are, of course, focused on what happened but the build up to the match itself was nothing unusual. The turnstiles didn’t seem to be letting people through very quickly, and the crowd was really building up. I never knew any of the 96 who died but, even still, that day has affected me ever since. You’d show your ticket to go through one barrier and then further down the street you’d show your ticket again to be allowed through the next barrier. "To be honest, I didn’t catch on too quickly. Then, I began to realise how busy it must have been in our end of the stadium because, in the build up to kick-off, people were waving and shouting rather than singing. From where I was, you could see the individual people in each of the wing pens, but the central pens were far, far busier and just one big mass of heads. What do you think of those apologies? Interview: A Hillsborough survivor speaks Neil McDougall, 45, is a born and bred Liverpudlian now living in London and is the father of four children. Three deny perverting course of justice after Hillsborough disaster. My dad was convinced that he’d seen my jacket being packed away into a plastic bag during a television update and, so, my parents hadn’t seen any updates for hours because my dad wouldn’t let my mum watch it. ", ...red sky thinking for an open and diverse left. Something went horribly wrong on that day. Getty Images offers exclusive rights-ready and premium royalty-free analog, HD, and 4K video of the highest quality. Football club marked 32nd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster yesterday Flags were flown at half mast and shoppers stopped to reflect in city at 3.06pm By Katie Weston For Mailonline They should not be treated differently, they should be held accountable for their actions in the way that anyone else would be.". Trying to get towards the turnstiles was like swimming in mud. As the gate is opened I dodge the first few fans coming in as I try to wait around, but the numbers coming in becomes a flood and I am swept away, up the tunnel onto the entrance to the terraces.”, After being crushed against the wall outside the ground for what felt like an eternity, Steve Hart fell through a turnstile, with his ticket still intact, and was struggling to get his breath back in the concourse area between the turnstiles, exit gate C and the tunnel: ‘By the time I got into the ground I had lost my mates. It was another semi-final, we were confident of victory and the weather was great. The next thing we knew we went tumbling forward. I believe that the Hillsborough disaster and the circumstances surrounding it are a unique case that justifies unique action. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Considered the worst sporting disaster in English history, 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives and an additional 766 people were injured in a stampede. Neil, what are your memories of the day of the disaster and at what point did you first become aware that there was a problem at Hillsborough? They should be held accountable for their actions. We fight for what we believe in; no matter how hard we need to fight or how long we need to fight for, we just keep fighting. Tim Knowles, originally from Formby , was 17 when he went to the FA Cup semi-final on April 15, 1989. It’s an open concourse outside the turnstiles, and everyone was allowed onto it. As the saying goes, “the lie is halfway around the world before the truth has got its pants on”. Hillsborough disaster This article is more than 7 years old. We don’t have justice yet but, at last, we have truth. Steven Gerrard says the memory of his cousin who died in the Hillsborough disaster has inspired him to reach the pinnacle of his profession. Surely the authorities did? I’m in, but what the hell is going on outside?”, Brian Johnson was by this time safely inside the ground in the far right of the West Stand seated section above the Leppings Lane terraces: “About 2.40ish, I decided to go to the toilets. The apologies aren’t worth a tuppence to me, though. Even this early, people looked tense, and as time got closer to kick-off it was getting more and more tense. I couldn’t believe what I saw. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the two standing-only central pens in the Leppings Lane stand allocated to Liverpool supporters. Meanwhile, outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles at around 2.30pm, the crowd had swelled considerably and the turnstiles were too few, malfunctioning, and could not admit fans fast enough. For me, justice must be done and that will enable us to get closure. It has become a little easier as groups began to form and provided us with a voice and a platform. The very name, ‘exit’ gate, tells you they were not designed to allow fans to enter. As a direct result of the tragedy, 96 people lost their lives but what do you think that the psychological effect has been on some or all of the survivors as a consequence of the smear campaign? Neil McDougall, 45, is a born and bred Liverpudlian now living in London and is the father of four children. Outside, Nick Braley decided it was getting to be too much: ‘I say to the lads that I don’t care if I miss the kick-off, don’t care if I miss the match, this is dangerous and I want out. Our Steve is a personal insight into the process of new inquests into the disaster (2014) and the forensic search into how my brother Steve died there. The policeman had a flat cap, so he was obviously not an everyday bobby. I stuck my foot on the bottom and jump through, the last one in as the copper pulls it shut behind me. Getty Images bietet exklusive rights-ready und erstklassige lizenzfreie analoge, HD- und 4K-Videos in höchster Qualität. This is an edited extract from ‘The Hillsborough Disaster: In Their Own Words’ by Mike Nicholson (Amberley Publishing, £12.99), Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Anyway we got something to eat in the corner shop, a Mars bar and a pint of milk I think, and we got into the ground at about twenty to three or a quarter to three … it was obviously packed.”, Liverpool supporter John Joynt remembers arriving later than he had planned in Sheffield because of the traffic: “The police had the ground well boxed off the year before, but we didn’t think too much of it at the time. And that is uncomfortable, with the weight of people behind you and an iron bar in your chest. He has been a Liverpool fan since the age of five and, aged 22, was at Hillsborough on April 15th, 1989 – the day on which 96 of Neil’s fellow Liverpool fans went to a football match and never returned home. One lad near me joked that Liverpool hadn’t sold all their tickets. It doesn’t matter that it was 23 years ago or that some may have retired or changed jobs. Much to the pain of the victims’ families, the legal process to establish the facts and ascribe guilt for the Hillsborough disaster has endured for more than 30 years I’ve often wondered who else might have noticed. So we moved down further still to try and get a barrier behind us again…”, Nick Braley moved to the side as gate C opened briefly and he took advantage of the opportunity: “It was dangerous out there, really dangerous. Whenever it got dark, it gave you the incentive to keep fighting. The families of the Hillsborough victims should be praised for keeping the fight going when people kept telling them to give up the fight.". Interview: A Hillsborough survivor speaks. To have had the grieving process drawn out for 23 years as you fight for the memories and values of the person that you’ve lost is unimaginably cruel. Words are easily said but I see no real evidence that there is any genuine meaning behind them and I still have not had an explanation as to why it took them so long to make those apologies.". The difference between the density of the wing pens and central pens was stark, and seemed more pronounced as kick-off drew closer. I remember seeing The Sun headline and thinking to myself: “Wow. Opening the gates was a decision not taken lightly. Neil spoke to The Point's Willie Duncan about his recollection of the events of that day, the aftermath of the smear campaign and cover up perpetrated the UK Government, South Yorkshire Police and the media, as well as his hopes for the future of the campaign for justice for the 96. When we got towards the turnstiles, the crowd was building up outside. If that happens, we will be able to move on without ever forgetting the 96 and what happened on that day. It’s completely unacceptable. People were running around in circles in sheer desperation doing their best to help those who were dying. The crowd was building up, when Paul Jarvill joined it: “There was no queuing system. Everything was good-humoured, but I was already getting jostled about as people were singing and dancing. This harrowing account of the Hillsborough disaster is told through the eyes of a survivor. Normally when you are in a big crowd like in the Kop, you get a surge forward when there is a goal or a corner or whatever, and then the crowd slowly moves back as the action passes. The Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP), set up to oversee the release of documents relating to the disaster, concluded there was "clear evidence in … There were a couple of police on horseback, but they were just stuck within this mass of people, and they had no control of the situation. Hillsborough inquiry: Chief police officer David Duckenfield admits he caused disaster. I just remember watching on in horror and seeing fans on the pitch using advertising hoardings as emergency stretchers. The crowd only grew denser as they got closer. If you’ve ever done anything like that, then you have played your part in the truth coming out and you should be proud of that. People were climbing up walls, gates, anything to get out of the crush. In an interview with LFC TV, Ms Aspinall said: "The group has folded now - it's a … The philosophy in Liverpool is that you look after your own. All that I’d seen was people trying to help and care for their mates, people in tears and numb with shock. Next minute there’s a cheer, and the exit gate opened up, so we all filed through. The anger, disgust and realisation of what was being said and what was going on kicked in shortly afterwards.". Eventually, [my friend] and I were side by side, and we got towards the turnstile and there was a police officer on a horse. I said to my friends, ‘We can’t stay in here, we’ve got to get out.’ We went left at the end of the tunnel into Pen 4. It was a squeeze, but we made it down, probably more by luck than judgement. By then, people couldn’t stand aside, so we went down on hands and knees and crawled through legs. A not-guilty ruling related to the 1989 disaster presented a difficult reality: The 96 who died were unlawfully killed, but nobody, most likely, will ever be held responsible. But it would have been odd had they not also addressed the elephant in the room, the Duke’s televised interview with Oprah Winfrey and the hugely damaging allegations made by both him and the Duchess. The Hillsborough Independent Panel has presented its 395-page report on the Hillsborough disaster of April 15, 1989 in which 96 Liverpool fans went to a football match and never came home. Here is a look at the Hillsborough Disaster, a 1989 tragedy at a British soccer stadium. We got into the pens and the crowd had stopped moving by then. Overcrowding in the stands led to the deaths of 96 fans in a crush. Whenever I recall the day and see the pitch, in my mind, I always think of a scene akin to something from World War I: The shell suits turn into army uniforms with tin helmets on, those advertising stretchers are real stretchers. What’s going on? I never saw any of that”. They weren’t interested, and just told us to get in the ground.”, John Joynt got through a turnstile around 2.45pm. It was very much my practice to try and stand in front of a barrier, with my back on it. Immediately inside, there was a police officer guarding a programme seller. We couldn’t go back, we couldn’t move sideways, so we had to take the decision to crawl under. However, I was finding that when I was pushed forward there was no going back. Twenty-seven years ago, the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, turned into carnage. The pressure just kept building. But it wasn’t like that– you could see the crowd moving forward, but you couldn’t see anyone moving back again.”, The constant flow of people coming down the long, dark tunnel behind was immediately filling any space that a forward motion created, and leaving the crowd that bit more compressed. That brought a lot of comfort to me because it helped me realise that I wasn’t the only one struggling to cope with the horrors of that day and that even big dockers cry sometimes.”. It didn’t take a trained eye.”, At the other end of the ground, Mick Bowers was starting to get concerned about the pressure of the crowd behind the goal: ‘From 2pm, I noticed myself getting pushed further down the terrace and over to the left. At the Leppings Lane end, in the already packed central ‘pens’, 96 Liverpool supporters died after the police opened an exit gate on them to relieve crowd pressure outside the ground. We made our way into the little pen in front of the turnstiles and probably got through at about 2.45 p.m.”, Inside the ground, Danny Rhodes, a Nottingham Forest supporter at the Kop end, picks up the story: ‘As time ticked on towards 2.30pm, the Forest end started filling up. The crush wasn’t as bad as it was to be inside, but the police had lost control of it, basically. For South Yorkshire police to be so inept and corrupt and to get away with it is unbelievable. 70-year-old simply says 'yes, sir' There was a fear starting to build. The The term ‘panic’ occurred frequently in their accounts, but more detailed descriptions of their Dave Roland was seen sitting on a terrace with his head in his hands in the aftermath of the catastrophe in which 96 people died. What needs to happen for justice to be done for those who lost their lives as a result of the tragedy? There was a barrier to my left, so I tried traversing across, thinking that if I get behind that then I can’t go further forward as it would offer protection.”. To wait that long to get the truth widely accepted is far too long to wait. It was an antiquated place, and while having a pee I noticed that, instead of windows, they had left alternate bricks out on a couple of courses on the outer walls, probably for ventilation. What would you say to those who failed to address the injustice when they had the chance? The cover up within public office was so widespread that it was easier to ignore it or do nothing. St George’s Hall in Liverpool became a focus for remembrance following the verdict last month, Relatives react after the jury delivered its verdict at the new inquests into the Hillsborough disaster, in Warrington, Relatives of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster celebrate outside the Hillsborough Inquest in Warrington, Margaret Aspinall holds a banner after the jury delivered its verdict at the new inquests into the Hillsborough disaster, Relatives of the Hillsborough sing 'You'll never walk alone' as they depart Birchwood Park after hearing the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest, Relatives of Hillsborough victims show their emotions as they depart Birchwood Park after hearing the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest, Relatives of Hillsborough victims hug as they depart Birchwood Park after hearing the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest in Warrington, Margaret Aspinall (C), whose son James died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, makes a statement following the conclusion of the inquest into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, Relatives sing "You'll never walk alone" after the jury delivered its verdict at the new inquests into the Hillsborough disaster, Relatives of Hillsborough victims hold up banners as they depart Birchwood Park after hearing the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest, Donna Miller (R), sister of Hillsborough victim Paul Carlile holds up a banner as relatives depart Birchwood Park after hearing the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest in Warrington, Andy Burnham's tribute to Hillsborough victims, Read more South Yorkshire Police 'tried to spin Hillsborough inquest reports', Accountability does not end with Hillsborough, the South Yorkshire Police need to be held responsible for Orgreave, Eamonn Holmes apologises after comparing Manchester United bus attack to Hillsborough disaster, Hillsborough disaster: PCC Alan Billings to investigate claims South Yorkshire Police ‘tried to spin inquest reports', Hillsborough disaster's '97th victim' killed himself after selling ticket to friend who died at match, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Hillsborough families react to inquest conclusions, Witnesses give their accounts of the events that led to Hillsborough, Up to 50% discount on bed & breakfast stays across the UK, Use this Debenhams discount and save up to 70% on men's lines - Spring offer, Exclusive Ideal World promo code: 20% saving on fitness, Up to 70% AliExpress discount on super value deals this week, Argos promo: Up to 50% off in the Tu Kid clothing sale. Then we were looking at each other with faces of incredulity. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. In a television interview played in court, ... Police collect evidence at 4.42pm, shortly after the Hillsborough disaster. It was like watching a war scene in a movie but it wasn’t a war: it was only a football match and those people should never have been killed. There was a Liverpool copper on horseback and one minute he was joking that he’d arrived late because it had taken him that long to ride from Liverpool and the next minute he was shouting at everyone. At the time I was not concerned, as I was used to standing behind the goal and it is part of why I loved to go the game: the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle. Eileen McBride, an off-duty nurse, was in the West Stand, looking down on the central pens, and remembers sensing that something wasn’t right: “The side pens were virtually empty. There were a number of people seriously hurt in the tunnel, but I think we must have missed that. The police, the Government, the ambulance service: all of those who failed to do their job properly and caused the deaths of the 96 and then covered it up should be brought to justice. People were running around in circles in sheer desperation doing their best to help those who were dying. Find professional Hillsborough Disaster videos and stock footage available for license in film, television, advertising and corporate uses. People underestimate us. On Saturday 15 April 1989, some 96 Liverpool fans attending the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were killed when a crush developed at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. You just couldn’t move your arms because you were so crammed together.”. You were totally sucked into it, and you had to move forwards, you couldn’t go back because of the people behind you. How quickly were you aware that the UK Government, police and media were preparing a smear campaign against Liverpool fans and how did it make you feel? On a bright sunny day in Sheffield, an exit gate had increased the density of the crowd considerably and, with no direction and no attempt to seal access, the lives of thousands were about to change forever…. Let me briefly set out why. Then, of course, people started to climb over the fences or climbing up a tier in the stand and when some fans started running towards Bruce (Grobbelaar, Liverpool goalkeeper) to tell him what was going on, it became clear how serious the problem was. Half expecting to get nicked, I go to show my ticket but the copper isn’t bothered. "Those responsible need to face the consequences of their actions – no more, no less. At this stage, you’ve got the thought in the back of your mind that there’s too many out here. I was in agony, I could hardly breathe, and I was gasping for air.”, The situation outside was now dangerous, and clearly wasn’t going to be resolved without urgent action. Hillsborough disaster: Witnesses give their accounts of the events that led to a tragedy. That caused many people to lose their footing, as Peter Carney recalls: “As we walked in, we heard the roar of the crowd as the teams came out. Fans are getting agitated. However, despite taking this drastic measure, effective management of the crowd could still have averted disaster. Hillsborough survivor from poignant image dies with coronavirus. The truth has been revealed but the 96 deserve justice now. An interview study investigated survivors’ accounts of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Now the inquest has judged them unlawful killings, the witnesses can give their accounts of the events leading to this tragedy, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Peter Carney recalls walking towards the Leppings Lane end: “What was noticeable from the year before [when the FA Cup semi was also played at Hillsborough] is that we’d had to walk through barriers. There were no signs telling you anything different. All of those responsible for the decisions that they took on the day and participated in the cover up afterwards should face the consequences. Bodies were laid out everywhere and they were being carried down to the far end of the stadium. In cases where it is appropriate, I would like to see criminal charges brought against individuals responsible. He never told anyone about what he thought that he’d seen. image caption The 32nd anniversary of the Hillsborough stadium disaster will be marked on Thursday. And we strained our necks upwards, we could see a little bit of the pitch, with only a small gap that you could actually see down. The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. Once there, Steve Hart remembers, I was shouting at the turnstile operator that it was chaos outside and he needed to do something, and he didn’t even take my ticket … he was just clicking people through. I’ve always found that what happened that day to be a very difficult thing to talk about and the smears were a big part of that because people believed the lies. Bearing in mind that the tunnel leading to the central pens was directly in front of exit gate C, the simple act of blocking access to the tunnel and directing fans to the side pens would have stopped thousands more supporters using the only obvious entrance to enter the already packed pens. The truth is a massive step forward for everyone but only justice will provide us with closure. I looked over my shoulder and there was just a sea of people, and you could see people’s eyes getting wider. Following the Hillsborough disaster, the Taylor Report made recommendations to prevent anything similar happening again, chiefly ensuring that all … I go for it but as I arrive the copper is trying to pull it shut. And we noticed very early that something was wrong with the Leppings Lane end. “Jocky is back, Jocky is back, woa woa” and “Brucie, Brucie Grobbelaar, Brucie Grobbelaar in our goal”. It was just another football game but, of course, the events of the day changed all of that. Once you got into that dark tunnel … horrendous … the nightmares I’ve had over it since...’. Official misinformation, misrepresentation, falsified evidence and a deliberately constructed incorrect narrative, had informed the world with this version of the Hillsborough disaster. I believe that the close relationship between the Government and South Yorkshire Police, partly because of the Miners’ Strike meant that the Police believed that they were untouchable and that they could do whatever they wanted. That simply is not good enough. It’s very important that progress is made while the world’s spotlight is on the case. Die Hillsborough-Katastrophe war ein schweres Zuschauerunglück mit 96 Toten und 766 Verletzten am 15. It was at this point that Match Commander Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield – who was watching the crowd on CCTV from his position in the police control box overlooking the Leppings Lane terraces – gave the order to open the gates. I would like to see those who were responsible to be held accountable for their actions and I believe that previous reviews into the case and decisions that have been made should be overturned immediately. "Waiting 23 years is a long time to have waited for the truth. The pressure was now so great that I had my arm in front of me at head height so that it was more comfortable and I could hold myself off the person in front of me. I can’t imagine what the families of the deceased have been through. "The fight for justice needs to be carried on. In a strange way, the smears had a positive effect on the campaign because it galvanised the groups and reinforced the belief that things were not right. "Those apologies were long overdue and needed to be said, particularly the apology from David Cameron on behalf of the UK Government. The tragedy was largely attributed to mistakes by the police. I was concerned for my safety. It is now abundantly clear that the UK Government of the day and subsequent Governments failed to get to the truth. This started to alarm me, as normally if you go forward then you can jostle back to your position. Those who have failed should hold their hand up, admit their mistakes and take their punishment. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The kids know to turn the TV off if something about Hillsborough comes on; they know to leave me alone on the anniversary of the day itself. Afterwards, the memories are difficult to deal with. There were no exits left and right, so you could only go forwards. "The thing that people don’t realise about Liverpool is that it’s really like a big village. And while waiting in the concourse area, recovering from his ordeal, Steve saw the order being executed: ‘I saw a policeman with a couple of stewards, and they had keys. Twenty years after Britain's worst stadium disaster, Adrian Tempany and five other survivors describe the impact Hillsborough has had on their lives Hillsborough … For anyone to lose someone very close to them, even due to natural causes, the feeling of loss lasts for a very long time. There was a mounted officer with a bullhorn shouting, 'Get back, step back', but you couldn’t. When Gerry Marsden sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before the game, so many people were in tears – from both sides. To have lost someone and to have the majority of people think that they were killed by their own kind or through their own fault is not right. Hillsborough disaster police officer reveals bosses left bobbies to fend for themselves. “The strange thing is that my first worry was actually how packed the Nottingham Forest (Liverpool’s opponents that day) end was. When I looked out across the pitch, it was like a war zone. It was such a horrible sight to see. I got under the horse and went through the turnstile. My shoelace was undone, but I couldn’t bend down to tie it. People were struggling to keep their footing, and being squashed tightly against each other. There were people crying everywhere, walking about the pitch in a state of shock. Higher up, it was still so tight that standing up was difficult but we did it. Hillsborough: Our Steve. My parents never even knew that I was alive until I walked through the door at around 10pm that night. How much does that mean to the people of Liverpool? I never did go to the replayed match but I did go to the final against Everton with my dad, who is an Everton fan. Finally, what do you see as the way forward for the campaign for justice for the 96? (Hillsborough Independent Panel Report, 2012; RIV, 2016), they were regarded as responsible, for many years. Interview. At that point I thought there was no point hanging around any longer, so I went down the tunnel.”, Peter Dalling remembers walking through the gate into the tightly packed tunnel: “The coppers just said, ‘Go in there’ so we walked through and down the tunnel. All I thought to myself was to try and keep my spot because I still wanted to get a good view and am only about armpit level to everyone else!
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