Hillsborough Parents' 'Last Battle' for Daughters: A Decades-Long Fight for Factual Justice

United Kingdom - Ekhbary News Agency

Hillsborough Parents' 'Last Battle' for Daughters: A Decades-Long Fight for Factual Justice

In a poignant and enduring struggle spanning nearly four decades, Jenni and Trevor Hicks, parents of Hillsborough victims Victoria and Sarah Hicks, are once again at the forefront of a campaign for truth and justice. This week marks the launch of their latest, and perhaps most critical, effort: to rectify official court records from the early 1990s that inaccurately state their daughters, along with many other victims, lost consciousness within seconds and died within minutes of the catastrophic terrace crush. This narrative, repeatedly disproven by substantial evidence, remains a painful and deeply personal affront to families seeking an accurate historical account of their loved ones' final moments.

Victoria, aged 15, and her sister Sarah, 19, were among the 97 Liverpool fans who tragically perished in the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April 1989. Since that fateful day, the Hicks family has tirelessly dedicated their lives to ensuring the full truth of what transpired is officially acknowledged. Overwhelming evidence from subsequent investigations, including a second set of inquests in 2016, found that many victims remained conscious for at least half an hour after the initial crush, directly contradicting the initial official narrative that influenced the civil case in the early 1990s. This flawed account, famously known as the "30-second rule," posited that every person killed in the disaster was unconscious within 30 seconds – a premise later proven to be categorically untrue.

The primary hurdle to correcting these records lies in the refusal of South Yorkshire Police, central to the initial controversy, to consent to a fresh hearing. This denial places the families in a difficult position, as the record cannot be officially corrected without police agreement. Jenni Hicks articulated her profound frustration to the BBC, stating, "Every time I say, 'That's it - I'm done now', I look at the photographs of my daughters and I think, 'I can't be done'." She added, "You're trying to deal with the deaths of your children and you can't get to the truth of it. Even now, 37 years down the line, South Yorkshire Police are still refusing to put the record straight."

Chief Constable Lauren Poultney of South Yorkshire Police has offered assurances, stating, "Under my leadership, South Yorkshire Police will take the steps available to us to support the families in achieving a sense of justice." However, these statements have yet to translate into concrete agreement for a record-correcting hearing. Trevor Hicks views this campaign as likely his "last battle" for the truth, approaching 80 years old, having spent most of his adult life pursuing this cause. He remarked, "I think logically it would have been so much easier for South Yorkshire Police or their legal representatives to make a statement in open court. They've just decided not to and so we're now faced with – obviously supported by various other politicians – to take a political route to sorting out what technically could have been easily fixed."

The records in question originate from a civil case in the early 1990s, where families of some victims sued South Yorkshire Police over the pain and suffering endured by their loved ones. Victoria and Sarah became test cases. Despite their parents appealing all the way to the House of Lords, the ruling favored the police, leaving the Hicks family with significant legal costs. Their case was undermined by the aforementioned "30-second rule" adopted by the court. Furthermore, police lawyers relied on claims that every victim had died before 15:15 GMT, which was also later proven unequivocally false.

Jenni and Trevor's new efforts will converge on Westminster, where they are scheduled to address a parliamentary event on Monday. Hosted by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, the gathering will bring together MPs, peers, and legal experts to scrutinize the issue. While Poultney was invited, she cited unavailability, offering instead to meet the Hicks family "in private at an appropriate time." This event signifies a strategic pivot towards political pressure, hoping that parliamentary intervention can achieve the long-sought rectification. The ongoing campaign underscores the families' unwavering determination to ensure the historical truth of the Hillsborough disaster is neither distorted nor forgotten, and that their loved ones are honored with an accurate account of what truly transpired.

Ekhbary News Agency