On April 15, 1989, 96 people attending a soccer playoff match were crushed to death at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England.
The tragedy marked one of the worst stadium disasters in history. The local South Yorkshire police accepted none of the responsibility for the Hillsborough disaster and shifted the blame to the victims and fans who they accused of drunken and unruly acts and for hindering rescue efforts.
An inquest was called and determined that the deaths of the 96 Liverpool fans, many of them teenagers, were accidental.
A report issued this week by the Hillsborough independent panel found that the main cause for the disaster was a failure in police control and that the victims were entirely absolved of any blame for their own deaths. Disturbing findings were made that highlighted a corrupt police
investigation involving an extensive and orchestrated cover-up by the South Yorkshire police. In 116 of the 164 police witness statements taken after the stadium disaster, there were significant changes made to remove or alter negative comments about the police.
The attorney general will determine in the next few weeks whether to apply to high court for an order for a second inquest. This outcome appears likely given the flawed original verdict that cannot stand and the heightened public interest in correcting the tainted official record. A new inquest may also lead to equitable compensation payments for the victims' families.
In the event that criminal charges are brought against the police or other authorities, an inquest will be suspended until their completion. What are the possible offences involved? One possible charge, forcefully supported by the lawyer for the victims' families, is manslaughter, which involves unlawful killing by gross negligence.
A British legal commentator, Joshua Rozenberg, observed in a column in The Guardian that it may be difficult to establish that the individuals responsible for the Hillsborough ground were ''culpable to criminal standard of proof for the deaths of fans whose lives might otherwise have been saved.''
A second possible charge of perverting the course of justice would relate to the police cover-up and whitewash that improperly deflected the blame to the victims.
The sweeping breadth of the cover-up and documented police misconduct will invariably lead to some form of accountability that may include charges against the officers involved in recasting their witness statements.
The South Yorkshire police is preparing to refer the conduct of its officers during and after the Hillsborough disaster to a police complaints commission that can make recommendations for criminal charges to the Crown Prosecution Service. A decision on pursuing prosecutions in the Hillsborough disaster will be made in the months ahead. It is a slow path to justice for the families of the 96 victims.
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