Liverpool: Archbishop welcomes Hillsborough verdict

The Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon OP, Archbishop of Liverpool, has welcomed a court decision today which exonerates football fans of all blame for the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which 96 people died.

A jury blamed the police force for making false claims about the behaviour of the crowds, saying that that supporters had not behaved in a way which was "unusually forceful or resistant to police control" and if that had any effect on the dangerous situation developing at the turnstiles.

The Home Office was also criticised for signing a £19.4million cheque which helped officers mount defences at the inquest. Some now face criminal charges,

Archbishop McMahon said today: "Since the awful events that unfolded when Liverpool played Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough on 15th April 1989, the families of the deceased and all who survived that appalling tragedy have been relentless in their quest for justice.

I would like to thank the coroner and the jurors for their careful consideration of the evidence and all whose work has led to the conclusion of the inquest into the death of the 96. I hope that the acknowledgment that those who died were unlawfully killed will bring comfort to the survivors and the families of the 96.

May they rest in peace, to be for ever remembered in the hearts and minds of the people of Liverpool.

Source: Archdiocese of Liverpool/ICN