It can never make up for the lives that were lost at Hillsborough in 1989, but 32 years later, the families of the victims and Liverpool supporters are to be compensated by South Yorkshire Police.
One of the longest running enquiries in British legal history finally came to an end last week when the three defendants were formally acquitted by the judge, Mr Justice William Davis.
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Clearly, it won’t have been the outcome that many of those campaigning for justice for the 96 will have wanted, but the ruling has left them nowhere else to go.
The Guardian note that back in April an agreement was reached for a payout, but the families had an obligation to keep it secret until after the trial.
The claims were for psychiatric damage caused by the police cover up for over three decades and the lies that were perpetuated during that time.
“Through this civil claim for misfeasance in a public office, 601 victims sought justice and accountability for the deliberate, orchestrated and thoroughly dishonest police cover-up that suppressed the truth about the responsibility of the police, and blamed the football supporters for the horrific events that unfolded at the Hillsborough Stadium on 15 April 1989,” a statement from the lawyers of the 600+ people represented said, cited by The Guardian.
“Ninety-six Liverpool supporters were unlawfully killed as a result of the police failings that day, and countless others suffered physical and psychological harm.
“The distress and heartache caused by the loss of life, and the injuries caused to those who survived, were made significantly worse by the lies told and the cover-up that followed.
“As a result of the cover-up, that was maintained for nearly 30 years, the victims, both the bereaved and the survivors, and their families and loved ones, suffered additional psychiatric injury.
“No amount of money can compensate them for the ordeal they have suffered, but this settlement acknowledges both the cover-up and its impact upon each of the victims.”