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Hillsborough inquest as it happened: Jury rules disaster's 96 victims were 'unlawfully killed' with Liverpool fans not to blame

Today sees the conclusion of the longest jury proceedings in British legal history

Lizzie Dearden,Caroline Mortimer
Tuesday 26 April 2016 10:42 BST
(Getty Images)

The jury in the Hillsborough inquest has ruled that the 96 victims of Britain's worst sporting disaster were unlawfully killed.

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The jury of six women and three men gave their decision on 14 key questions relating to how the day unfolded as dozens of relatives of the victims watched in the packed courtroom.

Their answers formed a damning condemnation of the planning and response of the police, emergency services and stadium authorities both before and during the game.

They were also tasked with recording the time and cause of death for each of the Liverpool fans, 27 years and 12 days since the disaster on April 15 1989.

The most crucial question was number six, which asked: “Are you satisfied, so that you are sure, that those who died in the disaster were unlawfully killed?”

The jury answered "yes" in a majority decision, following it by ruling that fans were in no way to blame for the disaster.

The Hillsborough tragedy unfolded during Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest as thousands of fans were crushed on Sheffield Wednesday's Leppings Lane terrace.

The 1991 accidental deaths verdicts from the original inquests were quashed following the 2012 Hillsborough Independent Panel report after a long campaign by the families of those who died.

Additional reporting by PA

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