Hillsborough justice bid goes on

Coroner Stefan Popper talks about the Hillsborough inquest

Families of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster say they are determined to fight on for justice.

The city of Liverpool is expected to come to a standstill on Wednesday, 20 years after the tragedy which killed 96 people and injured hundreds more.

South Yorkshire Ch Con Meredydd Hughes said the force had "fully accepted" its responsibility for the disaster.

But Anne Williams, whose son Kevin died in the tragedy, is continuing to call for an inquest to be re-opened.

At the original inquest, the coroner ruled that all victims had sustained their fatal injuries by 1515 BST, based on advice from pathologists.

As a result, he did not hear any evidence of what happened after that point.

But many of the bereaved families believe their loved ones were still alive and perhaps, given proper medical assistance, could have survived.

South Yorkshire Police fully accept their responsibility for the Hillsborough disaster Ch Con Meredyd Hughes, South Yorkshire Police

When South Yorkshire ambulance driver Tony Edwards reached the dead and dying in his ambulance it was already 1537 BST.

"Well, it's a time of convenience because what that does, it rules out a proper investigation because I don't exist - I never came on the pitch [according to the inquiry]," he told the BBC.

"I was not called to the Taylor inquiry because if everyone's dead at three fifteen why do they need to speak to me?"

The inquiry into the disaster led by Lord Chief Justice Taylor established that main cause was a failure of police crowd control.

"Accountability has always lain with South Yorkshire Police. The Taylor report was quite clear in where blame lay," said the force chief constable.

"South Yorkshire Police fully accept their responsibility for the Hillsborough disaster.

"The force knows where it went wrong in a flawed operation and the leadership issues that led to the deaths of so many people."

Last month, the European Court of Human Rights threw out an appeal by Ms Williams challenging the verdict of the original inquest, but she has vowed to fight on.

"I think people are realising that there is something really bad about Hillsborough. There is such a really big cover up," she said.

Advertisement

Police 'responsible' over tragedy