Match commander denies 95 manslaughter charges

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THE police commander in charge at Hillsborough yesterday pleaded not guilty to multiple manslaughter charges.

David Duckenfield, 74, denied allegations his negligence led to the tragedy at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

He is charged with manslaughter by gross negligence in relation to 95 of the victims.

No charge has been brought relating to 96th victim Tony Bland, 18, who died four years later when his life support machine was switched off.

Duckenfield entered not guilty pleas to all charges when he appeared at Preston Crown Court via videolink.

The names of the 95 whose deaths he is charged in connection with were read out by court clerk Mark Nicholson.

A group of around 15 family members of victims were in the public gallery.

Graham Mackrell, 68, who was Sheffield Wednesday’s company secretary at the time, denied two charges of breaching safety legislation.

He is accused of being culpable for the host club’s failure to agree with police before the match the number of turnstiles that should have been used to admit Liverpool supporters into the ground.

The second charge Mackrell faces accuses him of failing to take reasonable care of VIDEOLINK: David Duckenfield people’s health and safety. It states that as club safety officer he failed to arrange a sufficient numbers of turnstiles so “no unduly large crowds would be waiting for admission” and to draw up adequate contingency plans for coping with exceptionally large numbers of people arriving at the ground.

The pair will stand trial on January 14. Former chief superintendent Donald Denton, ex-chief inspector Alan Foster and then force solicitor Peter Metcalf are accused of perverting justice.