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| Hillsborough inquest: lawyer accuses coroner of lack of balance | Hillsborough inquest: lawyer accuses coroner of lack of balance |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A lawyer representing families of the 96 people killed at the Hillsborough football ground in 1989 has protested at a lack of balance by the coroner, Lord Justice Goldring, in the conduct of the new inquest into the disaster. | A lawyer representing families of the 96 people killed at the Hillsborough football ground in 1989 has protested at a lack of balance by the coroner, Lord Justice Goldring, in the conduct of the new inquest into the disaster. |
| Rajiv Menon, who acts for the families of 75 victims, complained that the inquest had heard "hours and hours" of evidence alleging Liverpool supporters were drunk and arrived in large numbers without tickets at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. | |
| His complaint came after Goldring stopped him asking a witness, Liverpool supporter Michael Hill, about coverage of the disaster in the Sun in the days after the deaths on 15 April 1989. | |
| Goldring's decision that a copy of the Sun should not be shown followed questioning of Hill by John Beggs QC, representing the former South Yorkshire police chief superintendent David Duckenfield and two other former senior officers in charge at Hillsborough. Beggs suggested to Hill that Liverpool fans were not "angels"; that "a cohort" of Liverpool supporters used to drink heavily at football matches, arrive without tickets and behave badly; and that some Liverpool supporters were "worse for drink" at Hillsborough. | |
| Hill, a chartered accountant who was 37 at the time, survived the crush in pen three of Hillsborough's Leppings Lane terrace. He said he saw "no bad behaviour" or evidence of heavy drinking that day. He said he had been incensed by media coverage afterwards, which falsely suggested Liverpool supporters had broken down a gate to force entry and alleged they had been drunk, arrived without tickets, and misbehaved. Hill told Menon the coverage that incensed him after the disaster included the front page article in the Sun, headlined "The Truth", on Wednesday 19 April 1989. | Hill, a chartered accountant who was 37 at the time, survived the crush in pen three of Hillsborough's Leppings Lane terrace. He said he saw "no bad behaviour" or evidence of heavy drinking that day. He said he had been incensed by media coverage afterwards, which falsely suggested Liverpool supporters had broken down a gate to force entry and alleged they had been drunk, arrived without tickets, and misbehaved. Hill told Menon the coverage that incensed him after the disaster included the front page article in the Sun, headlined "The Truth", on Wednesday 19 April 1989. |
| Menon asked court officials to show the jury a copy of the paper from that day, but Goldring stopped him. The coroner said he did not see the "probative value" of the edition of the Sun being put to Hill. Goldring told Menon he should "move on to some other questions". | Menon asked court officials to show the jury a copy of the paper from that day, but Goldring stopped him. The coroner said he did not see the "probative value" of the edition of the Sun being put to Hill. Goldring told Menon he should "move on to some other questions". |
| Menon responded in front of the jury of seven women and four men: "I am concerned about this, because we have heard hours and hours and hours of evidence and questioning about drunkenness and ticketlessness [among Liverpool supporters]. There has got to be some balance." | Menon responded in front of the jury of seven women and four men: "I am concerned about this, because we have heard hours and hours and hours of evidence and questioning about drunkenness and ticketlessness [among Liverpool supporters]. There has got to be some balance." |
| Family members, approximately 40 of whom attended the inquest in Warrington, remained silent as the exchange took place. | Family members, approximately 40 of whom attended the inquest in Warrington, remained silent as the exchange took place. |
| Goldring maintained his ruling that the copy of the Sun should not be shown. He said: "Mr Menon, I have given my decision." | Goldring maintained his ruling that the copy of the Sun should not be shown. He said: "Mr Menon, I have given my decision." |
| Earlier, Beggs had asked Hill in reference to reports of drunkenness and misbehaviour: "You accept that Liverpool football club did have a cohort of supporters who did behave like that over the years? You are not seeking to suggest that they were all angels are you?" | Earlier, Beggs had asked Hill in reference to reports of drunkenness and misbehaviour: "You accept that Liverpool football club did have a cohort of supporters who did behave like that over the years? You are not seeking to suggest that they were all angels are you?" |
| Beggs asked Hill "as a lifelong Liverpool supporter, about which there is no criticism", whether he accepted that: "Your club had a particular reputation, some of its supporters, for 'bunking in' [to a football match without having tickets] – I use the Merseyside vernacular." | Beggs asked Hill "as a lifelong Liverpool supporter, about which there is no criticism", whether he accepted that: "Your club had a particular reputation, some of its supporters, for 'bunking in' [to a football match without having tickets] – I use the Merseyside vernacular." |
| Hill said supporters did go to matches without tickets in the hope of buying some at the stadium. He said supporters were more likely to go to that FA Cup semi-final without tickets because they had been allocated the Leppings Lane end, which was smaller than the opposite Kop end. | Hill said supporters did go to matches without tickets in the hope of buying some at the stadium. He said supporters were more likely to go to that FA Cup semi-final without tickets because they had been allocated the Leppings Lane end, which was smaller than the opposite Kop end. |
| Hill said he had complained at the time that stories of Liverpool supporters being drunk or misbehaving were not borne out by what he had seen, and were not "the root cause" of the disaster. | Hill said he had complained at the time that stories of Liverpool supporters being drunk or misbehaving were not borne out by what he had seen, and were not "the root cause" of the disaster. |
| Questioned by Pete Weatherby QC, representing 21 families, Hill said there had been nothing unusual in the crowd that day, and that it was "not some kind of baying mob". He said he had arrived outside the Leppings Lane end at 2:35pm to find "a mass of people, no queues, and no crowd control" by police. | Questioned by Pete Weatherby QC, representing 21 families, Hill said there had been nothing unusual in the crowd that day, and that it was "not some kind of baying mob". He said he had arrived outside the Leppings Lane end at 2:35pm to find "a mass of people, no queues, and no crowd control" by police. |
| Eventually, to relieve the crush outside the turnstiles, a large exit gate was opened – on the order of Duckenfield, the jury has already heard – and Hill entered with other Liverpool supporters. He said he was directed by a police officer to go down the tunnel leading to the terrace's central pens, where it was "very full, very, very uncomfortable," and where the lethal crush took place. | Eventually, to relieve the crush outside the turnstiles, a large exit gate was opened – on the order of Duckenfield, the jury has already heard – and Hill entered with other Liverpool supporters. He said he was directed by a police officer to go down the tunnel leading to the terrace's central pens, where it was "very full, very, very uncomfortable," and where the lethal crush took place. |
| The inquest heard from Stephen Payne, a South Yorkshire police sergeant on duty at the semi-final, that after the Liverpool supporters died, he and other officers were told to write accounts on plain paper, rather than in their official notebooks or formal statements. This, he said, was unusual: "We were encouraged to ensure that we put evidence in of drunkenness or poor behaviour of Liverpool fans." | The inquest heard from Stephen Payne, a South Yorkshire police sergeant on duty at the semi-final, that after the Liverpool supporters died, he and other officers were told to write accounts on plain paper, rather than in their official notebooks or formal statements. This, he said, was unusual: "We were encouraged to ensure that we put evidence in of drunkenness or poor behaviour of Liverpool fans." |
| Goldring asked him if he was ever told why they were being encouraged to mention Liverpool fans and drink: "Not that I can remember," Payne replied. "I can only guess it was some sort of protective instinct by the force." | Goldring asked him if he was ever told why they were being encouraged to mention Liverpool fans and drink: "Not that I can remember," Payne replied. "I can only guess it was some sort of protective instinct by the force." |
| The inquest continues. | The inquest continues. |