Coroner sets new Hillsborough inquest date
Children lay floral tributes to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster at the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield stadium after the publication of the independent report into the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster on September 12, 2012 in Liverpool, England. Ninety-six fans were crushed to death on overcrowded terraces at Hillsborough football stadium, Sheffield, during the FA Cup semi-final on April 15 1989.
Coroner Lord Justice Goldring set on Thursday a new inquest date for the 1989 Hillsborough incident that killed 96 people on April 15, 1989.
While an exact date was not announced, Goldring said at a pre-inquest hearing that proceedings "will take place in early 2014."
"The purpose of these inquests is to examine fully and fairly how each of these victims of this terrible disaster lost his or her life," Goldring added.
The presiding coroner assured families of the victims that "culpable or discreditable conduct" would be made public and that the inquest would "ensure so far as possible that the full facts are brought to light."
The news comes after the recent death of Anne Williams, whose son died at Hillsborough.
"Anne Williams' death is a powerful reminder, if one were needed, that there is an urgency attaching to the commencement of the inquest hearings as well as a need for that investigation to be as full as possible," Goldring said.
On April 15, 1989, while Liverpool and Nottingham Forest competed in a FA Cup semifinal, fans on a crowded Leppings Lane terrace were crushed to death at the Hillsborough stadium. Some victims suffocated to death as fans kept pushing forward.
The High Court in London overturned the accidental death verdict in December, calling for new investigations and concluding that authorities had tried to blame rowdy fans for the disaster.
Following the courts ruling, an independent report in September said that 41 of the victims had the "potential to survive," if only medical help had been more quickly given.