To. The jury what advised that duckenfield may to. The jury what advised that ducke nfield may not to. The jury what advised that duckenfield may not show any emotion during the evidence, favour never given or shown by families, giving evidence, knowing only too well about post medic stress disorder. Foresight and high side are both wonderful things. Yet, a majority of mr duncan tos evidence. Also, at the inquest into thousand 16, again, they heavily relied on duckenfield. This time using hindsight along with the passage of time. At the resulting inquest, the qc offered various points of failure to duckenfield, the cause of 96 deaths of persons in the hillsborough tragedy. The answer was an emphatic yes, sir. Later when tragedy. The answer was an emphatic yes, sir. Laterwhen questioned by his own qc, duckenfield again accepted large number of feelings. What duckenfield accepted large number of feelings. What ducke nfield now accepted large number of feelings. What duckenfield now fails to accept is the hard told fax that it was him who was an overall command of the match and however much that fact has been airbrushed by foresight in hindsight, it remains, duckenfield was the man for decisions and he never stepped up. Disaster unfolded before his eyes. I suggest that even ina tsunami before his eyes. I suggest that even in a tsunami of hindsight, that was under abdul for a reasonably competent match commander full of the people around him required guidance, as did the officers in and around the ground. They were also willfully let down. And with just as high measure, were blamed by duckenfield. Summing up, the word hooliganism. This was a nonfactor in hillsborough, but still we keep having to remind you of this again, a strong flavour of the world hindsight all over again. This was a get out ofjail card, an obstacle that proves too much for any guilty verdict. This despite the inconvenience, the opening with lets be frank, theres no other way to say it. Perhaps deception could be another way because that is what happened later. Graham kerry from the faa, Peter Robinson and liverpool chairman josh smith, both. Duckenfield still kept the truth under wraps and carried on lying wall now having foresight of what they had done. That was. It was still a lie. 0r what they had done. That was. It was still a lie. Or a what they had done. That was. It was still a lie. Ora deception. Giving him time to try and get their stories straight, by further telling mr robinson either, your lot force the gates open or Liverpool Supporters have opened the gates, stated in 1998 by mr robinson, the gates, as you may recall, were undamaged. Its also been a mystery to me where duckenfield was during the build up to the match. The chief superintendent able to walk around the ground in his sunday best uniform, it is very distinct glasses, and yet not one photograph orany glasses, and yet not one photograph or any officers can recall seeing him, not one piece of video has been shown of the men, the decision maker, a new man try to make a new impression. The South Yorkshire police force is a very different organisation, or so we have heard, led by. At least one officer confirmed that recollection during the inquest. Surely, someone must have seen the boss on his way around the ground on the 15th of april 1989. Around the ground on the 15th of april1989. | around the ground on the 15th of april 1989. I wonder now even more, we re april 1989. I wonder now even more, were they afraid to speak out . Now, were they afraid to speak out . Now, we will never know. Now, sadly, the decision we have, we will have to get on with our lives. I am and will be fairly grateful for the support of the campaign for truth, justice and accountability for 96. And i would like to refer people to the human rights act 1998, article two, the right to life which states, public authorities should also consider your right to life when making decisions that might put you in dangeror making decisions that might put you in danger or that of your life expectancy. Ducke nfield in danger or that of your life expectancy. Duckenfield made no such decision or provision. Instead, he reduced his role to that of a liar and a coward, a disgrace to the uniform something that was not or should not have been in the remit of a reasonably competent match commander. That is steve kelly, one of the brothers of the victims of the Hillsborough Disaster in april 1989. His older brother michael, who was 38 at the time, died in the crush at the stadium that day. He also heard from the hillsborough Family Support group. Just a small example of the people who are really at the heart of this story. Steve kellys own story is that he has lost his mother, his brother, his son this campaign. As you heard there, they dont believe justice has been done. Just to bring you up to date tonight. The match the Police Commander in charge on the day of the Hillsborough Disaster has been found not guilty of the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 liverpool fans. David duckenfield, whos 75, was cleared after a seven week retrial at Preston Crown court. The jury at his original trial earlier this year failed to agree a verdict. Families of those killed in the crush say theyre shocked and stunned by the verdict. And very angry at the long process that it ended in. Those responsible for the investigation say, had action been taken much earlier, there would have been other people facing criminal charges. David duckenfield has been a blamed figure for 30 years, in charge of policing hillsborough, at the home when the disaster happen for buddy jury when the disaster happen for buddy jury has found he is not doty of manslaughter. The chief superintendent was only put in charge of the fa cup semifinal three weeks before the match. Many say he just was not ready for the job he was given. Amongst them, former Sergeant William crawford, who was on duty that day under David Duckenfields command. It was like a poisoned chalice. He was left with the response billy of working that match and being overall in charge. And he did not have the experience on that day. I dont blame David Duckenfield. I blame the person who put him in that position. In 1989 from liverpool played Nottingham Forest in an fa cup semifinal. Liverpools followers, they are. 24,000 liverpools followers, they are. 211,000 liverpool fans travel to the city for the fixture for minutes before kick off, a huge crowd was still queuing to get into the ground. As thousands of fans were getting crushed here at lettings lane, David Duckenfield had to make a decision. By opening a large gate into the ground, he relieved the pressure outside but he did not think about where the supporters would go next. Thousands of people poured through the gate, a tunnel to the terraces was left open and the crowd surged down it into fenced pens which were already full. Some fa ns pens which were already full. Some fans climbed out of the crush but most were trapped. 96 people were killed on the terraces at hillsborough on a ten year old boy, 3017 37 37 teenagers, parents, siblings, a father and son, a pensioner of 67. David duckenfield accepted that his failure directly caused their deaths when he gave evidence at the hillsborough inquests in 2015. 38 year old Brian Matthews was pulled out of the pens but did not survive. He loved life. He was larger than life, in fact. Survive. He loved life. He was largerthanlife, in fact. Brain came from a large merseyside family who have spent 30 years campaigning on his behalf. His sister debbie has passed the baton to the next generation, brians nice, born after hillsborough but driven to justice by herfamily. Hillsborough but driven to justice by her family. She hillsborough but driven to justice by herfamily. She is trained hillsborough but driven to justice by her family. She is trained to hillsborough but driven to justice by herfamily. She is trained to be a barrister. Dads when their sons. Dads went home with their sons in body bags. You went with your family oii body bags. You went with your family ona body bags. You went with your family on a saturday 20 Football Team play. There should not have been any risk that you would not come home. There should not been any risk that you would not be safe all you were there. Her interest came about from being a baby, and ice to take her to the hillsborough Family Support meetings. If we had a criminal trial 30 years ago, it would have been put to bed by now, but weve not been allowed to grieve. In 2016, inquests found that the fans were unlawfully killed and they were not to blame. Following that, David Duckenfield was charged with manslaughter, but thejury at his was charged with manslaughter, but the jury at his first trial could not agree on a verdict and now a second jury has found that he was singled out unfairly and is innocent of any crime. Professor phil was a member of the Hillsborough Independent Panel whose report in 2012 reviewed new evidence about what happened on the day. There have been other Senior Officers who died in the meanwhile, you might have been prosecuted, but the truth of the matter is that of those who are still alive, only one is prosecuted. That doesnt chime well with me in terms of the range of culpability that both the Hillsborough Independent Panel and the inquests have demonstrated. For the last seven years, hundreds of detectives have been gathering evidence into hillsborough, costing £60 million, operation resolving the longest ever criminal investigation in england. Hillsborough families and survivors have spent three decades campaigning forjustice. Have spent three decades campaigning for justice. They have have spent three decades campaigning forjustice. They have been trials, inquests, investigations and inquiries, but this verdict means nobody will be jailed for so many lives lost. Thats the background to the case. Lets get the Police Reaction to the case. Assistant commissioner rob beckley led the investigation into David Duckenfield. My first thoughts are with the 96 people who died in the Hillsborough Disaster. Their families and the many thousands of people who were deeply affected by the events on 15 april, 1989. Thejury had a difficult and challenging task examining evidence stretching back decades, and i respect their decision. It may sound like a cliche to say that lessons must be learned. But given this verdict, that has never been more relevant nor important. It is right that an impartial and thorough investigation was carried out. It is right it was presented by the cps to a jury. And it was right that a jury made a judgement on the facts. What is wrong is that it has taken 30 years to get to this point. The passage of 30 years has presented challenges to everyone involved in the Legal Process both the prosecution and the defence. 30 years has meant that evidence has been corroded and some people and organisations who should have answered for their actions on the day are simply no longer with us. 30 years during which myths took root about fans being a cause of the disaster now shown through the inquest evidence, but also the evidence of both the defence and the prosecution in this case, to be unequivocably wrong. And 30 years, when many people, especially the families, have had to relive their terrible experiences. When all the hillsborough Legal Proceedings are concluded, we should, as a society, take time to consider these matters and to learn those lessons for the sake of the 96 innocent people who died 30 years ago. Something like this disaster and the 30 year wait to get to this point should never happen again. Thank you very much. Thats assistant commissioner rob beckley, who was in charge of operation resolve. Has been going on since 2012 and going on since then into David Duckenfield. Just to clarify something on the number of victims at hillsborough, because this causes confusion when we report this causes confusion when we report this story. 96 people are said to have died in the disaster, but mr duckenfield was only charged with manslaughter of 95. Tony bland, he. He did not die actually at the scene, he died as a result of withdrawal of treatment because he was ina withdrawal of treatment because he was in a severe vegetative state. Our correspondent fiona trott is at Preston Crown court. The unit, its very striking, listening to rob beckley there, frustration that he clearly felt about this investigation coming in so about this investigation coming in so late in the day. Its 30 years of suffering for the families and friends of those who died reliving this day after day, week after week, every stage of the Legal Process. Can you give us some every stage of the Legal Process. Can you give us some sense every stage of the Legal Process. Can you give us some sense of what he admits or has been like in that courtroom during the course of this trial . When that not guilty verdict was returned, some of the relatives burst into tears. That is how difficult it is in for some of them to understand that not guilty verdict today for some outside, they are very english. And while rob beckley said, it does sound trite sometimes to say lessons must be learned, this is now, this means more than anything. This really has been a case that has taken far too long to come to court. Its nightly comforting for those relatives. They have been through 30 years of private prosecution where a jury failed to reach a verdict, two inquests, and inquiry. A trial earlier this year where a jury failed to reach a verdict. And now this trial here at Preston Crown court today which has resulted in this not guilty gross negligence manslaughter. It means that David Duckenfield walks free from court but it also means that nobody will 110w but it also means that nobody will now face jailfor the but it also means that nobody will now face jail for the deaths of those 95 innocent liverpool football fans. We have had a statement from David Duckenfields legal team which i will read to you. It says david is, of course, relieved thejury i will read to you. It says david is, of course, relieved the jury has found him not guilty however, his thoughts and some of these remain with the families of those who lost their loved ones. He understands the Public Interest in this case but would asked that his privacy and that of his familys respected and will not be commenting further. Fiona trott at Preston Crown court, thank you very much. We can speak now to richie grieves. You survived that terrible day. It must be very difficult to endure yet again another frustration for you. Everyone was shocked, but we have had 20 years of being let down by the establishment, and its only since the inquests, its gone back into the establishment and things have gone wrong again. It would suggest to me, especially when you look at what has happened to all the families, bloodied sunday, the g re nfell families, bloodied sunday, the grenfell families, everybody gets let down who was in a similar position to us. Is it that this has taken. I appreciate this is not the verdict you wanted, David Duckenfield being found not guilty of gross about manslaughter by gross negligence, is it as much that or is it the fact that it has taken so long for this process, that its been so slow and so, it felt like two steps forward, six steps back a little at times . Its been a 30 year fight. We have our names blacken from the word go. The families have been under stress for 30 years. We felt, finally, the match commander on the day was hitting prosecuted. Lord Justice Taylor said in 1989 that failure to close off access to the central pens via the tunnel. We should not be shocked when we are let down by the judicial system, but it didnt come as a shock again today. Even though half of you expected it, it still, because its today, its still feels very raw. Yeah. The cps case, there was lot of areas they did not touch. Duckenfield is still to properly explain where he was from when he finished his meeting with officers at 10 30am until the end of the clearly, there were other problemm the process. The only, there are still Legal Proceedings going on, which we will not talk about now, but all you have now seen is the Sheffield Wednesday ground being fined under the safety of work act, which you must feel is pretty inadequate given what you and others went through and what the families of the debt of gone through . Exactly. Paying a fine on the £60, with life, and he is the only one found guilty with anything to do with hillsborough. It is absolute shocking. What we set at wellington, it shouldve only lasted five or six months, but the chose to rerun the tired old light from 1989. Months, but the chose to rerun the tired old light from 1989. Sorry to interrupt but how are you managing to get on with your life and all of this going on . For the last 30 years . What difference will this make now . In a sense, its pretty much, we are coming to the end of this process finally come after 30 years. I just end of this process finally come after 30 years. Ijust wonder what lies ahead for you now. |j after 30 years. Ijust wonder what lies ahead for you now. I dont know. Its too early. Its onlyjust happened a couple of hours ago. No one can take away from us the Hillsborough Independent Panel report, which was damning of eve ryo ne report, which was damning of everyone that was to blame on the day. And no one can take away from us day. And no on