JUSTICE AT LAST! JURY RULES THAT 96 HILLSBOROUGH DISASTER VICTIMS WERE UNLAWFULLY KILLED AFTER 27 YEARS

THE 96 fans who died at the Hillsborough tragedy 27 years ago were unlawfully killed, a jury has ruled today.

The jury of six women and three men delivered their conclusions at 11am this morning after hearing evidence for more than two years from around 1,000 witnesses.

The decision marks the conclusion of the longest jury proceedings in British legal history.

Liverpool fans did not cause or contribute to the disaster and police planning errors "caused or contributed" to the dangerous situation that developed on the day of the Hillsborough disaster, the jury at the inquests has concluded.

The CPS says it will now "formally consider whether any criminal charges should be brought against any individual or corporate body".

Families outside court after a jury decided that the 96 Liverpool fans who died in Britain's worst ever sporting disaster, were unlawfully killed, with police failures to blame Getty

Relatives react after the jury delivered its verdict and found that both the police and the ambulance service caused or contributed to the loss of lives in the disaster by an error or omission after the crush in the west terrace had begun to develop Getty

The 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives during their team’s FA Cup semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest in 1989 PA

Hillsborough: Jury concludes all 96 victims of disaster were unlawful

Jurors sitting in Warrington, Cheshire, agreed the tragedy happened "as a result of crushing in the central pens of the Leppings Lane terrace, following the admission of a large number of supporters to the stadium through the exit gates".

And they answered yes to the question: "Was there any error or omission in police planning or preparation which caused or contributed to the dangerous situation that developed on the day of the match?"

They were the first of 14 general questions they were asked, with others covering stadium safety, the emergency response to the disaster and whether the fans were unlawfully killed.

The conclusion was greeted with sobbing and cheers at the hearing in Warrington.

The Hillsborough tragedy unfolded during Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest on April 15 1989, as thousands of fans were crushed at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.

Overall match commander Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield gave the order at 2.52pm to open exit Gate C in Leppings Lane, allowing around 2,000 fans to flood into the already packed central pens behind the goal.

Relatives of Hillsborough victims arrive holding hands at Birchwood Park to hear the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest Getty

Trevor Hicks, who lost his two daughters at Hillsborough, arrives at Birchwood Park to hear the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest Getty

Relatives of Hillsborough victims arrive to hear the conclusions into the fresh inquests into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 football supporters were crushed to death Getty

Margaret Aspinall of the Hillsborough Family Support Group arrives at the inquest which began on March 31 2014 after the initial verdicts were quashed