With the acquittal of David Duckenfield, will we finally lay the ghost of Hillsborough to rest?
I suspect not, because these campaigns always seem to persist long after their reason to exist has passed. Did Duckenfield make an error of judgement on the day? Certainly looks like it. However, was he negligent? Given that three trials have failed to determine that he was, we have to conclude not. And three trials is enough. Also, the original coroner’s verdict of accidental death should have stood. Unlawfully killed means that someone was responsible for killing them, because someone broke the law. Whereas, in fact, a series of blunders led to a terrible tragedy.
But, of course, the campaign group wants someone to blame, someone to hang out to dry – even if that wasn’t actually the case. We will see the same bitterness and relentless pursuit of someone to blame with Grenfell, when again, there were a series of blunders. And again we will see the courts clogged up with what has become a hunt for vengeance, not justice.
After three trials and still no guilty verdict, now it is time to let it go, for everyone’s sanity. Let the dead rest in peace. Personally, I’d be happy to see a statute of limitations to prevent just this kind of endless campaigning and pursuing someone over decades. If you can’t produce the evidence in reasonable time, then too bad. 30 years is not reasonable time. They brought a private prosecution in 2000. That was a reasonable time, but they didn’t get the result they wanted so kept coming back in the hope of getting a different result. This is a gross abuse of the judicial system. For that, we have Jack Straw to thank by removing double jeopardy. As it is, three juries have failed to be satisfied that gross negligence applied to David Duckenfield. That really must be an end to it.
Agreed. It’s like the idea of compensating people for slavery.
Of course this won’t be the end of it. There will be people making a nice living from the grievance mongering, and they aren’t going to give it up just like that. Get ready for another wave of manufactured ‘outrage’ designed to keep the £££ flowing………….
Three is two too many. There used to be something called ‘double jeopardy’ and it was held to be a bad thing.
Precisely. This matter should have concluded in 2000 when the first jury reached a not guilty verdict.
We have Jack Straw to thank for that.
Indeed.
Whatever you think of David Duckenfield, this has been hanging over him for 30 YEARS!
What do these people actually want? How would sticking a 75 year old in jail help?
Something terrible happened and mistakes were certainly made but what three trials have decided, looking at a vast amount of evidence, is that this man was not culpable. In law HE IS INNOCENT.
“And when you’ve cut down the last law Roper and the devil turns on you?”
But what if, having cut down the last law, the devil isn’t there?
I wonder if they’ll start turning on each other?
This was never about justice. That was served in 2000. This is a quest for vengeance.
Well, over to twatter and facefuck then!
As a Bradford City fan I know only too well that nobody should go to football match and never come home.
The second Inquest into Hillsborough threw out the fact that there were ticketless fans on Leppings Lane. Once that was done it was always somebodies “fault”.
The cover up and smears were dreadful, but anyone who knew anything about Liverpool fans (Heysel), the South Yorkshire Constabularys attitude to any football fan (I was 13 at the time of Hillsborough and had been assaulted by police twice prior to that in Barnsley and Rotherham) AND the layout to Leppings Lane knew something had to give at Hillsborough eventually…
RIP the 96 but enough is enough.
I agree. This guy made a mistake on the day. Can happen to anyone. Move on !
I believe the police may have been aware of the danger. The previous year Tottenham Hotspur supporters nearly died. Same circumstances.
I wonder how much of the lessons were passed on?