Hillsborough inquests - July 16
The Hillsborough inquests commenced on March 31, 2014 and are the subject of reporting restrictions that have been imposed by the Attorney General's office. Liverpool Football Club is respectful of these restrictions and will therefore only be making available updates from other media channels for the duration of the inquest.
The report below - and the witness testimony contained within it - does not necessarily reflect the views of Liverpool FC. Please be aware that the reports on these pages will contain evidence about the day of the disaster which may be distressing.
To view archive reports from each day of the inquest hearings, click here.
Courtesy of the Liverpool Echo - July 16
A Hillsborough victim was seen moving in the pens two minutes after the match was stopped.
The inquests into the 96 deaths heard David Birtle, a 22-year-old from Cannock in Staffordshire, had travelled on his own to the semi-final on April 15, 1989.
Footage showed him apparently alive and moving at the front of pen three of the Leppings Lane terraces at 3.08pm - two minutes after the match was stopped because of the fatal crush.
Showing the video to the court, Christina Lambert QC, counsel to the inquest, said: “The officers of Operation Resolve have picked out David right in front of the perimeter fence, and moving.”
The jury was told David’s dad, James Saunders, died at the weekend, just days before the inquests heard evidence about the last movements of his son.
Ms Lambert told the court: “I should tell you that James, David’s father, passed away only this Saturday.”
The inquests heard from police constable Steven Thompson, who described treating a casualty he believed to be David in the middle of pen three at about 3.20pm or 3.25pm.
Mr Thompson, who said he couldn’t recall whether he checked David for a pulse, said he was then approached by another officer.
He said: “If I can recall right, he said something along the lines of ‘you’re wasting your time’.”
He said he then closed David’s eyes and left him to help other casualties.
Police officer Kevin Hanson said he and his colleague Andrew Brookes later found David at the Spion Kop end of the ground, where he was lying on the pitch.
Mr Hanson said he began mouth-to-mouth while Mr Brookes carried out chest compressions.
He said David vomited while they were treating him.
In a statement he said: “I kept saying to myself, come on, pull yourself together, this lad is dying, it is only vomit.”
The court heard the officers were then approached by an off-duty nurse who was at the match as a Nottingham Forest fan.
She took over chest compressions but told them David had died.
David was then carried to the gymnasium at the ground, where Mr Hanson stayed with him.
In Mr Hanson’s statement he described having felt he had “failed” David.
Stephen Simblet, representing the family, said: “One of the things that I want to make clear on behalf of his family is they don’t think that you failed him.
“They are extremely grateful for the determined efforts that you made to save his life.”
Ms Lambert said David was identified by his dad, Mr Saunders, in the gymnasium at the ground at 12.35am.
The court also heard about the final movements of Alan Johnston, who was 29 and from Walton.
The jury was told he had travelled to the game on a minibus with friends, but had become separated from them at the Leppings Lane entrance to the Sheffield Wednesday ground.
Ms Lambert told the court there was no evidence relating to Alan from that point until he was found on the pitch.
She said: “There is no eyewitness evidence as to Alan’s movements from when he was last seen at the turnstiles until his recovery on the pitch, nor is there any video footage or photographs of Alan Johnston during this period.”
Nigel Reeves, who was a PC in 1989, said he had been helping to pull fans over the fence from the terracing when he turned and saw Alan lying on the pitch on his own.
He said: “I can’t remember exactly what checks I did, but he appeared dead.”
He added: “I didn’t do any resuscitation because in my opinion he was already dead.
“But, I shouted for help from other people at that point and we put him onto a hoarding and carried him towards the ambulances.”
He said when they got to the area in the corner of the Spion Kop and North Stand someone who he assumed was a doctor examined Alan and directed them towards the gym.
Steven Royle, another police officer who helped to carry Alan on the hoarding, said he could not remember a doctor assessing Alan outside the gym.
But he said he thought the hoarding with Alan on was placed on the floor as they waited to get in.
He said: “I think while we were queueing, as such, while we were queueing to get in, it would have been put down.”
The court heard Alan was confirmed dead in the gymnasium at 4.04pm and was identified by friend John Murphy just before 10pm.
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A Liverpool fan who lost sight of his brother in the pen at Hillsborough said police questioned him about alcohol after he identified his body.
The court heard 25-year-old Steven Brown had travelled from his home in Holt, near Wrexham, to the semi-final on April 15, 1989, with his brother Andrew.
Mr Brown told the court he had last seen Steven, whose wife was six months pregnant when he died, in pen three of the Leppings Lane terrace.
He said they went into the pen at about 2.20pm, but said by 2.45pm the crowd was uncomfortable.
He said: “It was bearable up until that point, but after that point it was getting packed and there was no movement.”
He said just before kick-off at 3pm there was a surge which pushed him forward in the pen and he lost sight of his brother.
He said: “I could see Steven up until about four or three minutes to kick-off.
“Then it was basically just try and keep on your feet.
“I couldn’t see a lot. All I could see in front of me was people’s heads.”
Mr Brown told the court he was able to get out of the pen after about 20 minutes.
He went back to the car to wait for his brother before reporting him missing to police officers and being taken to Sheffield Boys’ Club to wait for news.
He was later taken back to the stadium, where he identified Steven.
He said: “As soon as I managed to identify him on a Polaroid, I was taken through some doors, asked to identify my brother, which I did do.
“I was then led to a table and interviewed by a police officer and Mr Graham Kelly from the FA and I made a statement to them.
“It seemed at the time all they were concerned about was basically how much alcohol we’d had to drink.”
Gerard McManus, who was a police constable in 1989, told the court he saw an officer giving mouth-to-mouth to Steven on the pitch.
Mr McManus said he gave chest compressions to Steven until a man approached and said he was a doctor.
He said the man examined Steven and said he was dead.
The court heard Mr McManus and others then carried Steven across the hoarding.
Matthew Pool, a fan who helped to carry the hoarding, said he thought Steven appeared unconscious.
He said: “There was quite a few people carrying the hoarding and people were talking to him, you know, trying to reassure him, saying ‘You’ll be alright’, this kind of thing.”
The court heard Steven was confirmed dead in the gymnasium by Dr Allan Redgrave just before 4pm.
The inquests continue.