The jury at the new inquests into the deaths of 96 people at Hillsborough in 1989 have been told that they must come to a unanimous decision if they are to reach a verdict of unlawful killing.
The coroner, Sir John Goldring, gave that guidance to the jury of three men and seven women at the converted courtroom in Warrington on the day they were scheduled to be sent out to consider their verdict. However, the hearing was postponed following what was said to be an issue with a juror, and Goldring now hopes to send the jury out on Wednesday.
He said that in order to reach a verdict that the 96 were unlawfully killed at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, the jury must be satisfied that the South Yorkshire police officer in charge, Ch Supt David Duckenfield, “was responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence of those 96 people”. To find gross negligence, Goldring said, they must be sure Duckenfield’s breach of his duty of care to supporters at the semi-final “was so bad, having regard to the risk of death involved, as in your view to amount to a criminal act or omission”.
The jury have 14 questions to answer, relating to the South Yorkshire police planning for the event and operation on the day, the safety of Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough ground, and whether there were failures in the police and South Yorkshire metropolitan ambulance service response to the lethal crush on the Leppings Lane terrace.
The questions also include one relating to whether the behaviour of supporters outside the ground, at the approach to the Leppings Lane turnstiles, “caused or contributed to the dangerous situation”.
Goldring told the jury this is a “controversial issue”. He said it had been suggested to many witnesses that film footage of the congestion at the turnstiles, although it might not show everything that happened, “shows no unruly behaviour and no sign of heavy drinking such as some police officers recounted”. The coroner also told the jury that there was no suggestion of hooliganism at the semi-final, or misbehaviour by any of the 96 people who died, or anybody who gave evidence.
