Six people in total were charged today in relation to the 1989 disaster which killed 96 people
It has been another momentous day for the Hillsborough Justice campaigners as the Crown Prosecution Service announced a string of criminal charges in relation to the disaster.
More than 28 years after the disaster claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool FC fans the victims' families, survivors and campaigners were told privately about the decision by Sue Hemming, the CPS head of special crime and counter terrorism, at Warrington Parr Hall.
Six individuals were charged following the inquiries which focused on the causes of the tragedy and the alleged cover-up which followed.
Match commander on the day David Duckenfield and former Merseyside chief constable Norman Bettison are among those charged.
Everyone, excluding Duckenfield, will appear before magistrates in Warrington on August 9.
Here is everything we know so far:
[b]Who was charged?
David Duckenfield, Norman Bettison, Graham Mackrell and Donald Denton are amongst six people charged over the Hillsborough disaster[/b]
¶ David Godfrey Duckenfield - match commander
¶ Graham Henry Mackrell - club secretary and safety officer at Sheffield Wednesday
¶ Peter Charles Metcalf - Solicitor for South Yorkshire Police
¶ Donald Denton - Former Chief Superintendent of South Yorkshire Police
¶ Alan Foster - Former Detective Chief inspector of South Yorkshire Police
¶ Norman George Bettison - Former Chief Inspector of South Yorkshire Police.
[B]What were they charged with?[B]
∆ David Godfrey Duckenfield - Manslaughter by gross negligence
∆ Graham Henry Mackrell - Contravening a term or condition of a safety certificate
- Failure to discharge a duty under Section 7(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, contrary to section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
∆ Peter Charles Metcalf - Doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice
∆ Donald Denton - Doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice
∆ Alan Foster - Doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice
∆ Norman George Bettison - Misconduct in a public office.
[b]What punishments could they receive?[/b]
Five of the six suspects including
David Duckenfield and Norman Bettison could potentially face life imprisonment, if found guilty of their alleged involvement in the Hillsborough disaster and its aftermath.
Both gross negligence manslaughter and misconduct in public office carry maximum life terms according to sentencing guidelines.
However, defendants if found guilty typically do not receive the maximum sentence.
The former South Yorkshire Police officers were among six individuals charged over the Hillsborough tragedy .
Duckenfield, who was the match commander overseeing the tragic FA Cup semi-final, and Bettison - a chief inspector in 1989 who is accused of lying about his involvement in the aftermath - are now due to face extensive legal proceedings.
Duckenfield has been charged with the manslaughter of 95 of the victims - the law as it stood at the time of the alleged offence means he can not be charged over the death of Anthony Bland , who passed away nearly four years after the disaster.
The sentences open to Graham Mackrell , if he is found guilty, are less severe.
He was Sheffield Wednesday Football Club’s company secretary and safety officer at the time, and is charged with breaches of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. If found guilty of the Safety of Sports Grounds charge he could be landed with a maximum jail term of two years. The Healthy and Safety at Work allegation could lead to an unlimited fine.
Those offences relate to alleged failures to carry out his duties as required.
[B]Who wasn't charged?
Sheffield Wednesday chairman Milan Mandaric lays a wreath during the Hillsborough 25th Anniversary Memorial Service at Hillsborough.[/B]
The Football Association has NOT been charged with any criminal offences relating to the Hillsborough disaster .
Many suspected the UK’s governing body would feature in the forthcoming prosecutions as the FA chose Hillsborough stadium for the high-profile game when it did not have a valid safety certificate.
Also not charged was Sheffield Wednesday PLC, who evaded prosecution because that organisation does not exist today, “with no directors or other individuals who form the company and therefore no-one who could represent it in the dock, give instructions to answer any criminal charge or enter a plea.”
The third notable organisation to escape prosecution was South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service, who have been previously criticised for its failure to respond adequately to the unfolding 1989 disaster.
But the CPS decided that “the disaster would have proved extremely challenging for even the most experienced ambulance officers, ambulance staff and ambulance control staff to have dealt with in a structured manner".
Three employees of that ambulance service were considered for criminal charges, but those investigations were dropped after an expert studied the evidence.
[b]How did the families react?
Hillsborough victims families, including Margaret Aspinall and Trevor Hicks, speak to the press[/b]
Families of the 96 today told the world that now is the time for accountability after six people were charged over the Hillsborough disaster .
A statement issued on their behalf welcomed the “long overdue” legal process sparked by the charges and highlighted the steps already achieved in the now 28-year campaign.
They said the charges sent out a message that nobody is above the law - a message described as the legacy of the 96.
In a statement read outside Warrington’s Parr Hall, a spokeswoman for the families said: “The Hillsborough families have waited 28 years for justice. Some of the truth was exposed by the Independent Panel and some at the inquest jury on April 26, 2016.
“Now we await the result of the long overdue process of accountability, with accountability being key... The families are sensitive to the issues of fairness and due process and no-one wishes to prejudice or to jeopardise that.
“There are, of course, various legal options open to the families where decisions have been made not to prosecute in the form of the victim and judicial review process. As I said, 28 years for justice, now it is time for accountability.”
[B]Norman Bettison plans to "defend his innocence"
Former South Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector and former Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Sir Norman Bettison [/B]
Norman Bettison will “vigorously” defend his “innocence” after being charged with offences relating to the
Hillsborough disaster.
Reacting to the decision to charge him with four counts of misconduct in public office, the former Merseyside Police chief constable said he was “disappointed”.
He added he would continue to defend himself - as he had done in the five years since the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel.
[b]What happens next?[/b]
The charging of six suspects over the Hillsborough tragedy and its aftermath sparks an extensive legal process that could continue well into 2018.
Each of the suspects will have to appear in a criminal court to face the allegations made against them.
Five of them are due to appear at magistrates on August 9, however in the case of Duckenfield it is slightly more complicated .
A private prosecution against him, for two counts of gross negligence manslaughter, ended in 1999 with a “stay” being placed on the proceedings - effectively suspending them indefinitely.
The CPS will now have to got to the High Court to lift the stay before the case against him can concede. He will therefore not appear in court in August.
Key questions going forward now include where any trials or sentences may be held, with locations unlikely to include Merseyside and South Yorkshire.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/everything-you-need-know-hillsborough-13254682
