Jury sent out at Hillsborough inquests

Jurors at the Hillsborough inquests have been sent out to begin deliberations after two years of evidence over the deaths of 96 Liverpool supporters at the stadium in 1989.

The jury of seven women and three men have been asked to answer 14 questions by coroner John Golding, including whether fans who died during the disaster were killed unlawfully.

Other questions touch upon issues such as the policing operation, stadium safety and the response of the emergency services on April 15, 1989.

At an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s home ground, Liverpool fans in the Leppings Lane End died as a result of a crush in the overcrowded central pens. The game was stopped after six minutes.

Proceedings in the Hillsborough inquests began on April 1, 2014.

At 276 days of evidence, the inquests stand as the longest case heard by a jury in British legal history.

The High Court quashed the original inquest verdicts returned of accidental death in December 2012.