THE real truth behind the Hillsborough disaster was finally revealed yesterday — 23 years after the tragedy claimed 96 innocent lives.
By RICHARD MORIARTY, LAUREN VEEVERS & TOM NEWTON DUNN
An independent report showed police tried to cover up catastrophic failings by disgracefully smearing Liverpool football fans, pinning the blame on them and falsifying reports.
It also disclosed FORTY-ONE victims of the 1989 FA Cup semi-final horror could have been saved if emergency services had acted faster.
The Sun last night said the paper was “deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry” for our notorious front page headline The Truth — published in the aftermath of the tragedy above a story reporting the police’s version of events.
Furious families of the dead called for criminal charges to be brought against cops involved in the “depraved” deception.
The devastating report into the Hillsborough tragedy savaged the police for a shocking catalogue of lies, blunders and smears.
The astonishing conclusions sparked a wave of shame and regret — but families of the 96 victims immediately demanded a CRIMINAL inquiry.
The independent report — one of the most damning ever seen in Britain — said senior police officers led a deliberate campaign to blame dead fans for the tragedy.
Cops’ notes were doctored to suggest supporters were drunk, had arrived without tickets and forced their way into the ground.
Blood samples were taken from all the victims — some as young as TEN — to try to prove they’d been drinking excessively.
And police even did criminal record checks on the dead in a bid to smear them after the crush.
But the Hillsborough Independent Panel, led by the Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, completely EXONERATED Liverpool fans killed in Britain’s biggest football disaster.
Tragically, it concluded that as many as 41 of those who died could have been saved if emergency services had not been guilty of a string of tragic mistakes.
It also released 400,000 documents which exposed how 164 police statements were ALTERED — 116 to remove criticism of the operation.
Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday made a “profound” apology over the tragedy at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest held at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough ground.
He ruled out any Government cover-up or conspiracy, but told MPs: “With the weight of the new evidence in this report, it is right for me today as Prime Minister to make a proper apology to the families of the 96 for all they have suffered over the past 23 years.
“On behalf of the Government — and indeed our country — I am profoundly sorry for this double injustice that has been left uncorrected for so long.”
He added: “Anyone who has lost a child knows the pain never leaves you. But to read a report years after that says ‘a swifter, more appropriate, better focused and properly equipped response had the potential to save more lives’, can only add to the pain.”
The Attorney General Dominic Grieve said he would consider if there was enough evidence to apply to have the original inquest verdicts of accidental death quashed.
South Yorkshire Police also expressed profound regret at the “disgraceful lies” told by senior officers at the time.
Current Chief Constable David Crompton said: “On that day South Yorkshire Police failed the victims and families. The police lost control. In the immediate aftermath senior officers sought to change the record of events. Disgraceful lies were told which blamed the Liverpool fans for the disaster.
“These actions have caused untold pain and distress for over 23 years. I am profoundly sorry for the way the force failed and I apologise to the families of the 96 and Liverpool fans. I’m ashamed. It’s been a dreadful day for the force.”
The Sun again publicly apologised for the front page headline “The Truth” — written by former editor Kelvin MacKenzie — on a story in which police officers accused drunk Liverpool fans of urinating on and stealing from the dead.
Current editor Dominic Mohan said: “Twenty-three years ago The Sun newspaper made a terrible mistake. We published an inaccurate and offensive story about the events at Hillsborough.
“We said it was the truth — it wasn’t. The Hillsborough Independent Panel has now established what really happened that day. It’s an appalling story and at the heart of it are the police’s attempts to smear Liverpool fans.
“It’s a version of events that 23 years ago The Sun went along with and for that we’re deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry. We’ve co-operated fully with the Hillsborough Independent Panel.”
Campaigner Trevor Hicks, whose two daughters died in the disaster, said the report revealed shocking “depths of depravity” in the way the police tried to blame fans.
He added: “Today we heard the truth. The truth is out today and the justice starts tomorrow.”
Other families of the victims welcomed the report and said they had given panel members a standing ovation after reading it.
Their report said fans — some of whom were injured — desperately tried to save the lives of fellow supporters while cops and paramedics took almost ONE HOUR to formulate a response to the devastation.
It said almost HALF of the men, women and children who lost their lives in the Leppings Lane end could “potentially” have survived if the emergency services had responded properly.
A previous coroner’s decision to limit evidence to events before 3.15pm — claiming all the victims already had fatal injuries by then — had “severely limited examination of the rescue, evacuation and treatment of those who died”.
Hillsborough Families Support Group chairman Margaret Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James, said of the panel members: “They have made our city proud today but most importantly they have made the 96 rest in peace for the first time in all those years.”
Sheila Coleman, of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, said: “Without doubt the inquest verdicts have to be quashed. With the clear evidence that fans could have been saved it needs a full inquiry into how they died.”
And she called for criminal charges to be brought against police officers involved in the cover-up, including some now at the top.
She added: “All the evidence shows South Yorkshire Police lied and operated a cover-up. These were criminal activities. We have got to the truth but where is the justice?”
The FA yesterday commended the work of the Hillsborough Independent Panel saying: “Having thoroughly reviewed yesterday’s report in full, The Football Association would like to commend the Hillsborough Independent Panel for their exhaustive and professional work.
“It is also important that The FA recognises the tireless commitment shown by so many, particularly the Hillsborough Family Support Group.
“We welcome the publication of the report and the subsequent comments of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
“The FA reiterates its deep and ongoing sadness at the dreadful events that unfolded on 15 April 1989.
“The organisation’s thoughts at this time remains with the families of all those who lost their lives in such terrible circumstances, as well as everyone connected with the City of Liverpool.
“For 23 years the families have suffered unbearable pain, and we have profound sympathy for this.
“The FA has cooperated fully with the Panel throughout this process and has released all documentation in line with their request.
“The FA and English football has changed immeasurably, and has learnt many lessons in the last 23 years. Through advancements in safety and investment in facilities English football is now a much safer, more welcoming environment for supporters.”
Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie apologised for his headline.
He said: “I am sorry that it was so wrong. It has taken more than two decades, 400,000 documents and a two-year inquiry to discover to my horror that it would have been far more accurate had I written the headline The Lies rather than The Truth.”
Mr Cameron told MPs that The Sun co-operated with the panel and that the “despicable untruths” came from a Sheffield news agency reporting conversations with South Yorkshire Police and local Tory Sir Irvine Patnick.
