Hillsborough: All you need to know about the verdicts... and the stories you must read

Their 27-year battle for justice finally came to an end yesterday as families of the 96 Liverpool supporters saw an inquest rule their loved ones had been unlawfully killed in the Hillsborough tragedy.
Fans arrive at the Hillsborough Memorial, at Anfield following yesterday's ruling. Picture by Simon HulmeFans arrive at the Hillsborough Memorial, at Anfield following yesterday's ruling. Picture by Simon Hulme
Fans arrive at the Hillsborough Memorial, at Anfield following yesterday's ruling. Picture by Simon Hulme

The historic verdict may have ended years of campaigning but the story is far from finished as we now await a decision on whether those responsible will face criminal charges.

Below are links to all of our Hillsborough stories... including comment, analysis and the latest news headlines.

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Names, not numbers: All 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster Click here

THESE are the 96 victims who lost their lives as a result of the Hillsborough tragedy on April 15 1989.

Behind every face lies a story of heartbreak for a family. Here is each of those stories.

Hillsborough victims to be commemorated amid calls for accountability Click here

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The 96 Liverpool fans who died as a result of the Hillsborough disaster will be commemorated later after an inquest jury ruled they were unlawfully killed, triggering calls for further action.

Relatives of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster sing You'll Never Walk Alone outside the Hillsborough inquests in Warrington, where the inquest jury concluded that the 96 Liverpool fans who died were unlawfully killed. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday April 26, 2016. See PA story INQUEST Hillsborough. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA WireRelatives of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster sing You'll Never Walk Alone outside the Hillsborough inquests in Warrington, where the inquest jury concluded that the 96 Liverpool fans who died were unlawfully killed. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday April 26, 2016. See PA story INQUEST Hillsborough. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
Relatives of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster sing You'll Never Walk Alone outside the Hillsborough inquests in Warrington, where the inquest jury concluded that the 96 Liverpool fans who died were unlawfully killed. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday April 26, 2016. See PA story INQUEST Hillsborough. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

The names and ages of each of the victims will be read outside St George’s Hall in Liverpool city centre, where a solemn memorial emblazoned with the words Truth and Justice towers over a row of lanterns, one for each of the lives lost in the 1989 tragedy.

The Sun criticised for leaving Hillsborough inquest verdict off front page Click here

The Sun newspaper has come under fire for not mentioning the Hillsborough inquest verdict on the front page.

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Despite not covering the verdict of the two-year inquest on the front page, which cleared the fans of any fault, instead the paper ran a double-page spread on the outcome, and covered it in their main leader.

The Hillsborough Memorial in Sheffield on the day that an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing. Picture Scott MerryleesThe Hillsborough Memorial in Sheffield on the day that an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing. Picture Scott Merrylees
The Hillsborough Memorial in Sheffield on the day that an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing. Picture Scott Merrylees

Hillsborough families always knew it and now it’s official - it WAS police’s fault Click here

Families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster declared that justice had finally been done as an inquest jury ruled the victims had been unlawfully killed in a tragedy caused by police blunders.

Lawyers acting for the families said the conclusions, at the end of the longest jury case in British legal history, had completely vindicated their tireless 27-year battle for the truth.

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YP Comment: Justice at last for The 96 on a day of vindication and valediction Click here

Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police David Crompton speaks to media outside the SYP HQ in Sheffield where he said his force "unequivocally" accepts the verdict of unlawful killing and the wider findings reached by the jury in the Hillsborough inquests.Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police David Crompton speaks to media outside the SYP HQ in Sheffield where he said his force "unequivocally" accepts the verdict of unlawful killing and the wider findings reached by the jury in the Hillsborough inquests.
Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police David Crompton speaks to media outside the SYP HQ in Sheffield where he said his force "unequivocally" accepts the verdict of unlawful killing and the wider findings reached by the jury in the Hillsborough inquests.

FOR 27 tortuous years, the families of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough tragedy – Britain’s worst ever sporting disaster – walked steadfastly alone in their pursuit of justice and the truth.

Now, they will never walk alone after an inquest jury overturned, arguably, the gravest miscarriage of justice in this country’s legal history and ruled that eight dozen fans of Liverpool Football Club were unlawfully killed at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.

Nick Baines: Long fight for truth and dignity gave a voice to those who could not speak Click here

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I REMEMBER where I was on April 15, 1989. I was leading a youth weekend at Rydal Hall in Cumbria, eager to finish a walk in the hills so I could catch up on the Liverpool versus Nottingham Forest FA Cup semi-final being played at the same time. My brother was at the match in Sheffield, and I knew a few other people who had been lucky enough to get tickets.

I got back and turned on my car radio. I couldn’t understand what was going on – even the commentator on the BBC sounded so traumatised that for a long time he simply assumed we all knew. As the news then became clearer, so did the horror begin to dawn.

Hillsborough police ‘must still wait months to learn fate’ Click here

A young Liverpool fan is sat pitch side, following the events of the Hillsborough disaster.A young Liverpool fan is sat pitch side, following the events of the Hillsborough disaster.
A young Liverpool fan is sat pitch side, following the events of the Hillsborough disaster.

IT COULD be more than a year before a decision is made on whether to charge those involved in the Hillsborough disaster with criminal offences, according to the senior officer leading the new investigation into the tragedy.

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Despite a jury concluding that the fans were unlawfully killed, the two criminal inquiries that could ultimately lead to senior individuals or organisations such as South Yorkshire Police being brought before court will continue for a number of months.

What the jury didn’t know: Yorkshire police and ambulance chiefs in ‘culture of denial’ - plus verdicts in full Click here

BOTH South Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service sought to “minimise” their responsibility during the fresh inquests despite previous public admissions, lawyers for the Hillsborough families claimed.

In legal argument - not before the jury - it was said that both organisations had previously, and in some detail, admitted responsibility for their roles in the disaster.

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Why Hillsborough police chief David Duckenfield could now face criminal charges Click here

David Duckenfield, the match commander at Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium on April 15, 1989, could face criminal charges despite not being convicted by a jury over the disaster 16 years ago.

The jury in the Hillsborough inquests today returned a verdict that the 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed.

Liverpool’s reaction: Now everyone knows the truth - but why did it take 27 years? Click here

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As the verdict from the Hillsborough inquest filtered through at Anfield, two Liverpool Football Club fans who had never previously met stood side by side next to a flower covered memorial at the stadium clutching a mobile phone.

Liverpool supporter Beryl Mealand, 64, was carrying flowers with a message written on the front which read ‘27 long years, JFT96, In God We Trust, YNWA’.

Video: ‘We got it catastrophically wrong’ admits South Yorkshire police chief after Hillsborough verdicts Click here

The chief constable of South Yorkshire Police admitted the force got the policing of the Hillsborough match “catastrophically wrong” as he accepted the unlawful killing verdicts and apologised to the victims’ families.

David Crompton said relatives of those who died had been failed, and that officers “will now take time to carefully reflect on the implications of the verdicts”.