Hillsborough families hope for ‘the beginning of the end’
Relatives of the 96 football fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster arrive for long-awaited new inquests, hoping that “every stone is unturned”.
Margaret Aspinall, of the Hillsborough Family Support Group said outside the inquests, which are being held in Warrington, that she hopes this is the “beginning of the end” (see video, below).
Ms Aspinall lost her son James, aged 18, at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. “My hopes at the end of this is that the families will have some peace,” she said.
Charlotte Hennessy, who lost her father James Robert Hennessy in the disaster when she was six years old, said: “It’s finally here. I don’t know if excited is the right word to use, but finally we’re here and it’s going to happen.
“I’m really, really nervous. It’s been a long, long fight.”
Historic moment as fresh Hillsborough Inquests begin. A jury is about to be selected. They could be sitting for up to a year.
— Ciaran Jenkins (@C4Ciaran) March 31, 2014
New inquests are taking place after “accidental death” verdicts from the original Hillsborough inquests were quashed in 2012.
The quashing of those original verdicts came after a long-campaign from the families of the Hillsborough dead, and a report from the Hillsborough Independent Panel.
Much of Monday is expected to be taken up with jury selection. There will be opening statements from the coroner and the families this week, with background “pen portraits” of all the victims being presented to the court over the next month.
“I demand the truth.” Mary Corrigan, mother of Keith McGrath, who died at Hillsborough aged 17. Inquests begin today pic.twitter.com/xlknbJc0SZ
— Ciaran Jenkins (@C4Ciaran) March 31, 2014
Jurors will also make a site visit to Sheffield’s Hillsborough stadium, the site of the disaster, but will be directed not to read the “deeply moving” tributes on the memorial to the tragedy.
The 96 football fans died at Hillsborough on 15 April 1989 when fans were crushed together on the ground’s Leppings Lane terrace.