Today marks 10 years since the Hillsborough Independent Panel review found 97 football fans were "unlawfully killed".
The Hillsborough Independent Panel exonerated fans of all blame and instead found evidence of an extensive cover-up from the police to smear the reputation of fans. The landmark report, published 10 years ago, said the evidence showed conclusively "Liverpool fans neither caused nor contributed to the deaths of the 96 men, women and children".
Andrew Devine, 55, died 32 years after the disaster in 2021 becoming the 97th victim. The report stated: "A swifter, more appropriate, better focused and properly-equipped response had the potential to save lives."
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The report devastatingly found up to 41 lives could have been saved if the emergency service response had been adequate. The panel, which investigated the disaster for three years, also confirmed South Yorkshire Police sought to deflect blame onto fans.
It found the police had made "substantive amendments" to statements that showed criticism of police management and the response to the unfolding disaster. Documents showed senior officers had discussed the "animalistic behaviour of drunken marauding fans".
The report also blamed Sheffield-based White's News Agency for being the originators of the false press reports including The S*n's shameful 'The Truth' front page. White's reporting was based on briefings from four South Yorkshire Police officers.
The extensive report, documented over 350 pages, concluded: "The panel found no evidence among the vast number of disclosed documents and many hours of video material to verify the serious allegations of exceptional levels of drunkenness, ticketlessness or violence among Liverpool fans.
“There was no evidence that fans had conspired to arrive late at the stadium and force entry and no evidence that they stole from the dead and dying. Documents show that fans became frustrated by the inadequate response to the unfolding tragedy. The vast majority of fans on the pitch assisted in rescuing and evacuating the injured and the dead.”
The Hillsborough inquests, which took place four years after the panel report, also found the Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed following a majority verdict.
West Derby MP Ian Byrne, who is a Hillsborough survivor, tweeted today: "Ten years ago today the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report was published - a momentous day in the fight for truth and justice over Hillsborough. Those responsible for unlawfully killing 97 fans were not held to account, but the real truth is recorded in this document."
Dan Carden, MP for Walton, added: "[The report] documented the real truth of how 97 fans were unlawfully killed, and the cover-up that followed. It was a day of vindication. Justice should have followed.
Despite the report's findings, only one man was ever convicted. Graham Mackrell, secretary of Sheffield Wednesday, was found guilty of a single safety offence and fined £6,500. Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield was acquitted of manslaughter and Chief Inspector Sir Norman Bettison had charges dropped in 2018.
Peter Metcalf, a former solicitor for the force, the then Chief Superintendent Donald Denton and DCI Alan Foster were also acquitted after being accused of changing 68 officers’ statements to withhold important evidence
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son, James, was killed in the disaster, called the outcome a “cover-up of the cover-up of the cover-up”.
Families and campaigners have now joined together to renew calls for a Hillsborough Law to "break the cycle" of injustice for bereaved families. They are calling for a change to the justice system to prevent others going through what the Hillsborough families experienced. It is hoped a Hillsborough Law could help bereaved families and survivors in other disaster situations involving public bodies.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) also started an investigation into the disaster in 2012 following the publication of the report. It is the largest investigation into alleged police misconduct and criminality ever seen in England and Wales. The IOPC said it would start a Salmon process, where those criticised in the report are given a chance to respond, in early 2023.
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