JMW Solicitors LLP 1 BYROM PLACE SPINNINGFIELDS MANCHESTER. Former Chief Superintendent Duckenfield was working for the South Yorkshire Police when the human crush of fans broke out shortly after kick-off on April 15. David Duckenfield, who as an inexperienced chief superintendent in the South Yorkshire police was in charge of the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, admitted he had not told the whole truth about mistakes he made on the day, through a succession of legal inquiries since 1989. But an inquest is not a criminal court, and so it was for another jury to decide whether Mr Duckenfield's mistakes amounted to gross negligence manslaughter. ", "It is important to remember that criminal proceedings have a very different purpose to an inquest.". Graham Henry Mackrell, who was Sheffield Wednesday Football Clubs company secretary and safety officer at the time of the disaster in 1989 - charged with two offences involving the stadium safety certificate and a health and safety offence. MX23RW : Wednesday, December 14 09:45:52| >> :120:10270:10270: France vs . No one should have to suffer the emotional damage that comes with such a burden. The former South Yorkshire police chief superintendent David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter more than 30 years after he commanded the police at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, at which 96 people died. David Duckenfield retrial. It is hard to comprehend how the relatives have maintained their dignity in the face of numerous disappointments and crass treatment from the authorities. david duckenfield cycling. The police officer had joined South Yorkshire Police as a cadet at the age of 16, been appointed a constable in 1963 and rapidly rose through the ranks. David Duckenfield, who as an inexperienced chief superintendent in the South Yorkshire police was in charge of the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, admitted he had not told the. David Duckenfield can finally rest easily. He said he had post traumatic stress disorder, and hid myself away and could not bear the word Hillsborough after the report was published, but then said he had begun to face the truth two years ago, with the help of doctors. Duckenfield became a partner at Balsera Communications in 2007, launching a federal government practice that designed and executed campaigns for the Department of the Interior (National Museum of the American Latino Commission), the FCC and GSA. Matthews said Duckenfield had admitted that it was a mistake not to make sure that he knew the ground in better detail, and that he was unaware which parts of the stadium were fed by [the seven] turnstiles A to G, or that they opened on to the concourse with the tunnel directly in front. Men, women and children were crushed on the Leppings Lane terrace. In 1991 he retired on grounds of ill-health. They were let down with the most catastrophic consequences imaginable. Relatives of seven of the 96 people killed were in the public seats in Preston, and many more watched in Liverpool. He vomited inside the bag before he died. Jimmy Hennessey, a 29-year-old, had negligible medical attention and was placed in a body bag while still alive. He ended up working as an announcer at major events such as the round Britain Milk Race, sometimes forming a double act with the multiple world champion Hugh Porter. Thousands of fans, friends and relatives attended the service at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy. Mr Duckenfield's wife, Ann, went over to comfort her husband in the courtroom after the verdict was read out. Duckenfield had agreed earlier that he had not acted as a reasonably competent match commander on the day, due to the mistakes he made. 'If there's truth in this, that is shocking and we have to deal with it' Has never been able to bring himself to get into a crowd of people ever since. He is a former vestry member of St. Philips Episcopal Church in Coral Gables, FL and board member of St. Philip's Episcopal School. Retreating into relative obscurity in Dorset until the launch of a fresh inquest in 2014, Mr Duckenfield is believed to be a keen golfer and apparently resorted to booking a taxi in a false name to evade reporters at Heathrow Airport last year. He is a past board member on the Abbot Academy Association and a past president of the Board of Foster Care Review, a not-for-profit childrens advocacy group in Miami, Florida. Her adult life has been dominated by the quest to find the truth about her father and gain justice for him. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield, now 74, denied the charges against him in connection with the deaths of 95 people at the 1989 tragedy. David Duckenfield denies the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 fans David Duckenfield would have been able to handle the match commander role at Hillsborough if he had prepared "fully and. He admitted everything at the 2015 inquests into the disaster, saying that his professional failings led to the deaths of 96 innocent men, women and children. The 96th victim, Tony Bland, was critically injured in the crush and died in 1993 after life support was lawfully withdrawn. Mr Duckenfield has been a key focus of repeated investigations and inquiries into the Hillsborough disaster, as survivors and families of the victims fought a gruelling 28-year battle for justice. But. Reuters "You didn't need hindsight, all you . A first trial on the same charge, heard by the same judge, Sir Peter Openshaw, ended on 3 April with the jury unable to reach a verdict. He described the policing outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles, where Duckenfield accepted the South Yorkshire police lost control at 2:40pm, as non-existent or shambolic at best. After rising to become Chief Superintendent, one of Mr Duckenfields first major tasks was to lead policing at Hillsborough stadium despite having never commanded a football match. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Former South Yorkshire Police Chief Superintendent promoted just 19 days before disaster, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. Many of approximately 2,500 people who came through gate C, including 30 of the people who were killed, went down the tunnel. Duckenfield then gave the order to open the gates. The former South Yorkshire police chief superintendent David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter more than 30 years after he commanded the police at the 1989. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been cleared of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. Between 2014 and 2016, Duckenfield was a senior official in the Obama Administration, where he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Public Affairs. The jury at Mr Duckenfield's original trial earlier this year failed to agree a verdict. It has dashed their hopes repeatedly over the years. In order to prosecute Mr Duckenfield, now 72, prosecutors will apply to have a stay imposed by a judge after a private prosecution over the Hillsborough disaster in 1999 removed. I know how important these proceedings have been to everyone, even though they came far too late. "We, the families, have fought for 30 years valiantly.". Former South Yorkshire police chief was on trial after new investigation and inquests. ERIC is an online library of education research and information, sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. The agony of the families of the dead is unimaginable. He was also a founding Board of Directors member of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospitals Miami Angels and Stars Gala and a former adjunct professor for Central Texas College. Mr Duckenfield did not dispute that he ordered the opening of a gate at Hillsborough to let fans in, or that he failed to close the tunnel to the terraces which were already full. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool supporters. Mr Duckenfield, of Ferndown, Dorset, was cleared after a seven-week retrial at Preston Crown Court. After beginning working life at White Advertising in Birmingham, he was conscripted rising to the rank of sergeant in the army but more importantly was introduced to cycling by a fellow soldier. No criminal charges were recommended over police blunders of the first magnitude listed in the final report, which resulted in sweeping changes to football stadiums across the UK including the abolishment of standing terraces. Duckenfield, who lives in Dorset, joined South Yorkshire Police as a cadet aged 16, and was appointed a police constable in 1963. Minimal treatment would have saved many of the victims. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. That sets the bar very high for the prosecution. The acquittal was not a shock. Hand Painted FDC at the best online prices at eBay! It was even more dispiriting to hear the defence barrister, Benjamin Myers QC, recycle all the rancid myths that grew out of Duckenfields dissembling: that fans turned up late, alcohol was a factor and supporters ignored police instructions. David Duckenfield, 75, walked free from court after jurors agreed he could not be held criminally responsible for the tragedy Credit: Peter Byrne/PA A retired South Yorkshire police chief has. Hennesseys daughter Charlotte, who was six at the time of the disaster, has had the course of her existence changed. David Duckenfield, the match commander at the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter by a jury at Preston Crown Court on Thursday. Tony Bland, the 96th fatality, remained on life support for four years. The cycling commentator David Duffield, who has died aged 84, spanned many fields in his chosen sport: as tricycle record-breaker, small-wheel cycle trailblazer, race announcer and marketing man. We need to be able to trust the emergency services and the systems that are set up to protect the populace. At. Only one ambulance made it onto the pitch; 42 remained in a queue outside. More than 2,000 fans then entered through exit gate C, with many heading for the tunnel ahead of them, which led to the central pens of the terrace where the crush happened. The prosecution alleged that Duckenfields failure to identify hazards at the turnstiles, monitor the numbers waiting to come in, relieve the pressures outside, monitor the numbers in the central pens and direct people away from the tunnel and central pens amounted to gross negligence. David Duckenfield, who is now 75, has been on trial accused of causing the deaths of 95 Liverpool fans who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield - the UK's worst sporting disaster. Liverpool FC said it shared "the reactions and frustrations by the families today and those affected by the Hillsborough tragedy". "He understands the public interest in this case, but would ask that his privacy and that of his family is respected, and will not be commenting further. Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been found not guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans in the 1989 disaster. Go to. The court heard he had ordered the opening of exit gates at the Leppings Lane end of the ground at 14:52 BST on 15 April 1989 - eight minutes before kick-off, after the area outside the turnstiles became dangerously overcrowded. Medical assistance at Hillsborough was woefully inadequate. Up to 2,000 fans entered Gate C, with many heading straight for a tunnel in front of them - which Mr Duckenfield had not ordered to be closed - and then on to the already full central pens on the. Sir, I am the man in overall control, he replied. On the day of the tragedy, Duckenfield, now 72, was. The matchday commander at Hillsborough was. He began working as a race announcer in 1967 at the Skol Six, a six-day track event held at the Empire Pool, Wembley, when the regular speaker fell sick and he was asked to pick up the microphone in his stead. Evidence was put to Duckenfield, who had very limited experience of football policing before he was promoted to command the semi-final only 19 days earlier, from Colin Allen, a Merseyside policeman who went to the match as a Liverpool supporter and survived the crush. The verdict came in a retrial at Preston crown court that began on 7 October. The crown's case was that the Chief Superintendent's failings were so extraordinary that they met that test. The pair would introduce the riders at the start and keep crowds informed as the race unfolded at the Milk Race from a car along the route before talking in the finish. Sir, it is now that I have thought very seriously about the families, Duckenfield said, explaining that the video was the most moving thing he had ever seen, and that it had shown him what it means to a mother to lose a loved one. ", Clive Coleman, BBC legal affairs correspondent. Reaction as David Duckenfield is cleared of manslaughter, argued the case against him was "deeply unfair", German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises, President's sons fall out over sale of a plane. The original 1991 inquest verdict of accidental death was quashed 21 years later after a long campaign by bereaved families. It was a catastrophic and deadly error. Duckenfield then lied and told FA executives that fans had broken in to the stadium. Duckenfield, 75, denies the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool supporters who died following the crush on the Leppings Lane turnstiles. The 90-day inquest resulted in a verdict of accidental death being returned by nine to two. The events of 15 April 1989 have been considered on a number of occasions, including at the second inquest concluding in 2016. You might be surprised its me saying this but I think the police got too much flak for it, I mean such a thing had never happened in the past. "We say that is unfair, there are so many other people at fault, and so many causes," the barrister added. The seven women and. Despite the terrible consequences, he should not be prosecuted for this error. He inspired at least one devoted fan site, We Love David Duffield, and drew the attention of the Guardians former sport TV critic Martin Kelner, who wrote: Forget the riders, what is David Duffield on? 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