Hillsborough police chief guilty of 'extraordinarily bad' failures, court told

Prosecution says David Duckenfield breached duty of care to spectators

The South Yorkshire police officer in charge of the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough in 1989 was responsible for “extraordinarily bad” failures that were “a substantial cause” of 96 people dying in a crush on the Leppings Lane terrace, a court has been told.

Opening the prosecution’s case against David Duckenfield for manslaughter by gross negligence, Richard Matthews QC told the jury: “David Duckenfield’s criminal responsibility for the deaths ... flows from his gross failure to discharge his personal responsibility as match commander.”

Continue reading...