‘Innocent victims can finally rest in peace’

The 96 victims of the Hillsborough tragedy can finally rest in peace after an independent report said Liverpool fans were not to blame, campaigners said

But Hillsborough Families Support Group member Trevor Hicks, who lost two daughters at Hillsborough, said the group would press for criminal action against those involved, adding: “The truth is out today, justice starts tomorrow.”

Mr Hicks said the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report revealed shocking “depths of depravity” in the way the police blamed the fans after the disaster.

He said the report showed “as many as 41 people might have survived” if the disaster had been better handled.

He also rejected the “profuse apologies” offered by Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun when it ran a front-page story blaming fans for Hillsborough.

Hicks said MacKenzie’s words were “too little, too late”, calling him “lowlife”.

Mr Hicks also called for Norman Bettison, currently West Yorkshire Chief Constable, to stand down.

Bettison is a former Merseyside Chief Constable and South Yorkshire Police officer and was involved in the original Hillsborough investigation.

“If he is anything of a man he will stand down and scurry up a drainpipe somewhere,” said Hicks.

Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, whose son James died, said the families had trusted the panel all along and thanked the members for “exonerating” the fans.

“They have made our city proud today but most importantly they have made the 96 rest in peace for the first time in all those years,” said Ms Aspinall.

Mr Hicks said they felt “vindicated” after enduring years of accusations that they were “vengeful, spiteful, looking for a scapegoat or for compensation”.

He said the families gave the panel a standing ovation when it finished reporting, and that three people fainted as the facts came out.

Mr Hicks said the report showed the aftermath of the disaster was a “manipulated, vengeful and spiteful attempt to divert the blame”.

Referring to their intention to pursue criminal proceedings, he added: “The truth is out today and the justice starts tomorrow.”

He said they were not “looking for scapegoats” but accountability and for those who should “hang their heads in shame”.