Archive

Officers Charged in Deadly U.K. Stadium Disaster

DELAYED JUSTICE

96 people were crushed or trampled to death at soccer match.

hillsboro-96-stadium-deaths_encklx
Reuters

Six people, including four police officers, will face criminal charges for the 1989 Hillsborough stadium tragedy that killed 96 soccer fans, prosecutors in U.K. prosecutors announced Wednesday. Last year, a jury decided the fans—all of whom were trampled or crushed to death—were “unlawfully killed” and cited police errors. David Duckenfield, a former officer who was the match commander on that day, will face manslaughter charges. Others facing charges include Peter Metcalf, an attorney who represented the South Yorkshire Police, and three former police officers: Alan Foster, Donald Denton, and Norman Bettison. Former club secretary Graham Henry Mackrell was also charged. “Criminal proceedings have now commenced and the defendants have a right to a fair trial,” said Sue Hemming, the head of the special crime and counterterrorism division of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Read it at The New York Times

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.