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Hillsborough disaster inquest jury to return verdict – live updates
Hillsborough disaster inquest rules 96 victims were unlawfully killed – live updates
(35 minutes later)
10.52am BST
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It’s getting near the start of proceedings.
David Conn has tweeted what this all means: complete vindication for the families who fought so long to find out what happened to their loved ones.
Hillsborough Inquests: Families of the 96 people who died are mostly in court now; space is very tight. Jury due to deliver verdicts from 11
Hillsborough Inquests: The Jury has completely vindicated the families' 27 year fight against South Yorkshire police's blaming of supporters
10.45am BST
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If you listened to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning you might have heard extracts from Peter Jones’s increasingly anguished updates from Hillsborough on the day for Radio 2. This is his final report from the ground. The video has an added piano soundtrack which is not necessary. His words alone are heartbreaking.
Some of the relatives are coming out of the court, to cheers and hugs.
10.41am BST
Court adjourned to huge round of applause from family members inside the courtroom and the annex. Hugging, tears, heads in hands.
10:41
My colleagues David Conn, Owen Gibson and Josh Halliday are in Warrington for the verdict. Andy Hunter is in Liverpool, where a live stream of the inquest session is being broadcast at St George’s Hall. There are 96 candles on the steps of the hall, and banners showing the names of all those died.
10.28am BST
10:28
Here’s some image of people arriving at Birchwood Park in Warrington, where the inquest is taking place.
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As well as recording the time and cause of death for each of the 96 Liverpool fans who died, the jury will be answering 14 questions – these are detailed in full in the link below.
There are two questions in particular which will see the most focus. These are:
6. Are you satisfied, so that you are sure, that those who died in the disaster were unlawfully killed?
Answer “yes” or “no”.
7. Was there any behaviour on the part of football supporters which caused or contributed to the dangerous situation at the Leppings Lane turnstiles?
Answer “yes” or “no”.
If your answer to the question above is “no”, then was there any behaviour on the part of football supporters which may have caused or contributed to the dangerous situation at the Leppings Lane turnstiles?
Answer “yes” or “no”.
If your answer to either of the questions above is “yes”, then was that behaviour unusual or unforeseeable?
Answer “yes” or “no”.
We still don’t yet know how the jury will deliver the decisions. They could deal with the questions first., or they might first go through the details of death for the 96 victims.
Related: 14 questions the Hillsborough jury must answer
10.13am BST
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My colleague David Conn, who has covered so much of the inquest, is at Warrington, where the hearing has sat for the past two years.
Hillsborough: Families of the 96 people who died at a football match 27 years ago queue to hear the verdicts today. pic.twitter.com/xglzoTq1h0
10.03am BST
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As we await the jury’s decision, here’s some more of David’s more coverage of the final elements of the inquest process:
Related: Hillsborough inquests jury told to consider unlawful killing verdict
Related: Police mindset at Hillsborough was 'all about public disorder', inquest hears
Related: Hillsborough jury told to consider credibility of police evidence
10.03am BST
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We will aim to bring full coverage of the potentially very complex jury verdict as it comes in, as well as the reaction on a day freighted with emotion and significance, both legally and, most of all, for the loved ones of those who died, many of whom have fought so long to determine what really did take place at Hillsborough, the ground of Sheffield Wednesday, which was hosting the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest match.
We will run considerable background coverage as the day goes on about the events at Hillsborough, what followed and the revelations at the long inquest.
But to start off, here is our page showing all 96 victims, with brief profiles of them, and links to further stories about them, the bulk written by my colleague David Conn, who has provided exhaustive, sensitive reporting of the inquest.
Related: Hillsborough victims: the 96 people whose lives were cut short
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After almost three weeks of deliberations, two years after the beginning of what is now the longest case ever heard by a British jury, and just over 27 years since the appalling event itself, the moment has finally arrived.
It’s also a “yes” to the final question, number 14, about errors by the ambulance service:
Today we will get an inquest jury’s verdict on what events led to 96 men, women and children aged from 10 to 67 heading out to an FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989 and never returning home.
Hillsborough Inquests: Jury: There were errors by South Yorkshire metropolitan ambulance service; started with failure to recognise crisis.
This will come after 11am UK time, from a jury of six women and three men who began their deliberations on 6 April, sitting at Warrington, Cheshire. It will come in the form of 14 answers to questions about each of the Liverpool fans who died, as well a formal recording of the time and cause of death.
This was the question:
All but one of these 14 decisions will be unanimous. The coroner, Sir John Goldring, told the jury on Monday that he would accept a majority decision of 8-1 or 7-2 on whether the 96 people were unlawfully killed by gross negligence manslaughter.
After the crush in the west terrace had begun to develop, was there any error or omission by Symas which caused or contributed to the loss of lives in the disaster?
To opt for unlawful killing, Goldring directed the jury in his summing up, they had to be satisfied that the South Yorkshire police chief superintendent in command at the match, David Duckenfield, “was responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence of those 96 people”.
11.23am BST
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Questions 12 and 13 have also been given a “yes” by the jury. These are:
12. Should Eastwood & Partners [the club’s consultant engineers] have done more to detect and advise on any unsafe or unsatisfactory features of Hillsborough stadium which caused or contributed to the disaster?
13. After the crush in the west terrace had begun to develop, was there any error or omission by the police which caused or contributed to the loss of lives in the disaster?
11.21am BST
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Also a “yes” to part of question 11, and no to another about Sheffield Wednesday’s actions on the day.
Q11Jury finds there was error or omission by Sheff Wed - they should have requested a delayed kick off
Was there any error or omission by Sheffield Wednesday FC (and its staff) on 15 April, 1989 which caused or contributed to the dangerous situation that developed on the day of the match?
To this the jury answered “no”.
There was also a supplementary part of the question:
If your answer to the question above is “no”, then was there any error or omission by Sheffield Wednesday FC (and its staff) on 15 April, 1989 which may have caused or contributed to the dangerous situation that developed on the day of the match?
This saw a “yes”
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11.20am BST
11:20
The jury also gives a “yes” to question 10, about errors before the day by Sheffield Wednesday, whose ground it was where the disaster took place:
Was there any error or omission by Sheffield Wednesday FC (and its staff) in the management of the stadium and/or preparation for the semi-final match on 15 April, 1989 which caused or contributed to the dangerous situation that developed on the day of the match?
11.19am BST
11:19
Loud cheers and applause inside St George's Hall concert room for unlawful killing verdict.
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Here’s an instant story by David Conn about the unlawful killing verdict:
Related: Hillsborough inquests jury says 96 victims were unlawfully killed
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11.18am BST
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It’s also a “yes” to question 9:
Was there any error or omission in the safety certification and oversight of Hillsborough stadium that caused or contributed to the disaster?
11.17am BST
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Tears, screams, claps and more tears in Hillsborough inquest annex
Were the 96 unlawfully killed? Yes. Justice after 27 years.
11.16am BST
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It’s also a “yes” to question 8, on the lack of safety in the stadium:
Were there any features of the design, construction and layout of the stadium which you consider were dangerous or defective and which caused or contributed to the disaster?
11.16am BST
11:16
Hillsborough inquest jury says behaviour of fans did not contribute to the disaster
This was the other big question, number 7:
Was there any behaviour on the part of football supporters which caused or contributed to the dangerous situation at the Leppings Lane turnstiles?
The jury said no.
11.14am BST
11:14
This was the one everyone was waiting for, and the only decision on which the jury gave a majority verdict, rather than unanimous. It’s this:
Are you satisfied, so that you are sure, that those who died in the disaster were unlawfully killed?
