After several trials, David Duckenfield, the head of the security apparatus on the day of the Hillsborough Stadium drama, was found not guilty. On April 15, 1989, 96 people were killed in a crowd move during the Coupe des Anglais semifinal against the Reds at Nottingham Forest.

Ex-Commissar David Duckenfield, security chief on the day of the drama at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, northern England, which killed 96 people in 1989, was found guilty of manslaughter on Thursday. by gross negligence.

The worst tragedy of British sport

In April, the Preston court jury failed to reach a verdict on David Duckenfield, 75, after a ten-week trial. A judge decided in June that he should be retried. A new trial was opened last month in the same court and lasted more than six weeks. In total, 96 Liverpool fans - men, women and children - lost their lives in this tragedy, the worst ever to hit the British sport during the Coupe d'Angleterre semifinal between the Reds and Nottingham Forest April 15, 1989.

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The retired septuagenarian was not tried for the death of the 96th victim, Anthony Bland, who died of his wounds nearly four years later, the law then in force does not allow prosecution for this case. For the prosecution, David Duckenfield had a "personal responsibility" in the drama. His lawyer, Benjamin Myers, had instead argued that David Duckenfield had "done all that was expected of him". His client did not testify at the trial because he suffers from post-traumatic stress but sound recordings of auditions made in 2015 were broadcast.

" A deep human tragedy that causes a lot of anguish and anger "

"The deaths of 96 spectators, many of them very young, are of course a deep human tragedy that causes a lot of anguish and anger and that, for many, time has not erased (...) but you must put aside your emotions and sympathy for the families of victims or for David Duckenfield, "said the judge before the jury retired to deliberate. The drama unfolded as Liverpool fans crowded in front of the turnstiles, kicking off. Security had opened a door leading to the wing reserved for them, to relieve pressure. But the fans had rushed on an already overcrowded standing platform.

In June 2017, the Prosecutor's Office (CPS) announced its intention to prosecute, following a long struggle by the families of the victims for justice. In April, a former manager of the Sheffield Wednesday football club - whose precinct is Hillsborough Stadium - was fined.