Relatives of the 96 Liverpool fans killed in the disaster in 1989 reacted angrily after the verdict was returned
Former South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter over the deaths of 95 people in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
Duckenfield was the match commander on April 15 1989, when Liverpool played Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final at the home of Sheffield Wednesday.
He was charged over the deaths of 95 of the 96 people who died in crushes at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium.
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Tony Bland, who was the 96th supporter to lose his life, died more than a year and a day after the tragedy. UK law at the time of the disaster stipulated that charges could not be brought in that circumstance.
Following a retrial at Preston Crown Court, the jury returned its not guilty verdict on Thursday. An initial trial earlier this year ended when the jury could not reach a verdict.
Relatives of the victims had been watching the proceedings via a relay. After the verdict was returned, Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said in a press conference: “I blame a system that’s so morally wrong within this country, that’s a disgrace to this nation.
“When 96 people, they say 95, we say 96, are unlawfully killed and yet not one person is accountable. 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?”
Aspinall’s 18-year-old son, James, was among those killed. Families of those who died at Hillsborough have long campaigned for their concerns over the tragedy to be heard and for justice to be served.
An original verdict of accidental death was quashed at the High Court in London in December 2012, soon after the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP) report.
A club statement from Liverpool praised campaigners for their “remarkable courage, dignity and resilience”, adding: “We share the reactions and frustrations by the families today and those affected by the Hillsborough tragedy.
“We also reiterate that the inquests in April 2016 concluded that the behaviour of Liverpool supporters did not cause or contribute to the Hillsborough disaster. We were disappointed that the allegations were raised again in this process.”
Duckenfield’s solicitor Ian Lewis, partner at JMW Solicitors LLP, 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.
“He understands the public interest in this case, but would ask that his privacy and that of his family is respected, and will not be commenting further.”
Former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell was found guilty earlier this year of a charge relating to health and safety at the ground.