The long road to justice

The jury’s conclusion that the 96 Liverpool fans who died at Hillsborough on 15 April 1989 were unlawfully killed marked the culmination of a remarkable 27-year campaign for justice by the families of the 96. The inquests, which lasted over two years, were both the longest inquests and the longest jury case in legal history.

Responding to 14 questions relating to the causes of the disaster and a further questionnaire for each of the deceased, the jury delivered trenchant and carefully reasoned answers setting out the failures of South Yorkshire Police (SYP), Sheffield Wednesday FC and the architects Eastwoods, which caused the disaster, and the blunders by the police and ambulance service, which meant that the emergency response failed to save many of those who died.

Lessons to be learnt

Having represented 77 of the 96 families at the inquests, there are three key lessons which need to be learnt:

• First, the need for publicly financed representation of families at inquests to ensure equality