BRITISH HOME Secretary Alan Johnson has told relatives of those killed in the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy that previously unseen documents relating to the disaster will be released in the near future.
The thousands of files will come from the Sheffield emergency services, Sheffield city council, Sheffield’s coroner and Sheffield Wednesday FC, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Mr Johnson, justice minister Michael Wills, and health secretary Andy Burnham met three mothers who lost their children in the stadium disaster, who were representing the Hillsborough Families Support Group, and promised the normal 30-year secrecy rule would be waived. A Home Office spokesperson said government was committed to “full disclosure”, but refused to confirm a detailed timetable for their release.
The disaster occurred during an FA Cup semi-final game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, when Liverpool fans became trapped in the pens at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium. Ninety- six people died as they were crushed against the fence that separated the stand from the pitch.
Many survivors and families of the victims felt the initial coroner’s inquest into the disaster was too limited in its scope and some claimed that it amounted to a “cover- up” by the authorities. Since then survivors’ and families’ groups have campaigned for further investigation, especially with regard to the response of the police and emergency services to the disaster.
The release of the documents will be supervised by the five-man Hillsborough Independent Panel, to be set up in the coming weeks.
The panel will make sure to liaise with the families of the victims before releasing relevant documents. The families have chosen Prof Phil Scraton of Queen’s University Belfast, who wrote Hillsborough: the Truth, to represent them on the panel.