Coroner decides on location for new inquests into Hillsborough

The coroner in the case, Lord Justice Goldring, has informed bereaved relatives that the hearings will get under way in the Cheshire town by March 31, next year.

Details of the exact venue picked for the hearings are set to be provided “in due course”.

Yesterday’s announcement came just under five months after Lord Justice Goldring decided that the inquests should take place in the North West, rather than London.

Britain’s worst sporting disaster happened at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium on April 15, 1989, during Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest, as thousands of fans were crushed on the ground’s Leppings Lane terrace.

A decision was made last December to quash the verdicts of accidental death recorded by the then coroner, Stefan Popper, at the original Hillsborough inquests in Sheffield in 1991.

The action was taken after the Hillsborough Independent Panel studied thousands of documents and reported that there had been a major cover-up of what occurred during the tragedy and its aftermath.

A split emerged between two separate campaign groups earlier this year, however, with one side pushing for the inquests to be held in London and the other calling for them to take place in the North West.

Some 71 families from the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG) wanted the hearings to be staged in London, while a smaller number from the Hillsborough Justice Campaign (HJC) asked for them to be held in the North West outside of Liverpool or Manchester.

Michael Mansfield QC, representing the 71 HFSG families, argued at a preliminary hearing in April that animosity and rivalry among football clubs in the North West could impact on proceedings, while London would be best suited to accommodate the international interest.

Explaining his decision to make the North West the location for the inquests, Lord Justice Goldring said in May: “The hearing is bound, it seems to me, to take several months.

“If it is held in London, those who wish to follow it in person will be away from home and living in hotels for a very long time. It is plainly not a practicable solution for someone to commute from Liverpool or the North West on a daily basis.”

He added: “I cannot see how anyone with work or caring responsibilities can spend long periods away from home in a hotel in London.”

Lord Justice Goldring said for those who were older or unwell, travelling to London would not be comfortable or easy, adding: “Video-links are second best.”

Welcoming yesterday’s announcement, HJC spokeswoman Sheila Coleman said: “Warrington is within a reasonable distance of Merseyside and so we are pleased with the decision.”

Relatives of the 96 victims had been united in their desire for the new inquests to be held away from Sheffield.

A recent change in the law means coroners are no longer restricted to staging inquests within their own districts and they can now be held at a different location, if such a step is deemed to be in the best interests of bereaved relatives or witnesses.

Two previously announced investigations into Hillsborough are also working out of Warrington.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission probe is looking at the aftermath of the disaster, while a criminal inquiry into the causes of the tragedy and the 96 deaths is being led by Jon Stoddart, a former chief constable of Durham.