Hillsborough disaster: Shropshire man's relief at verdict of unlawful killing, but why did the truth take 27 years?
Questions must be answered over who altered witness statements and police notebooks in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, according to a Shropshire man who was present at the tragedy.
Guy Williams, 47, from Shrewsbury, spoke of his relief that the inquests into the 1989 tragedy, which killed 96 football fans, had now legally established that they were unlawfully killed.
It was one of 14 conclusions reached by the inquest jury, which ruled that fan behaviour did not contribute to the tragedy.
Mr Williams said: "For me it is about the fact that it is now legally established in a coroner's court what actually happened. It is up to other people what needs to happen now but the narrative for what happened is now official. My frustration is that we have had 27 years of trying to get to this stage."
Mr Williams, a Shrewsbury firefighter, had attended the game with a friend and escaped the devastating crush in the Leppings Lane end of the Sheffield stadium.
The disaster unfolded during Liverpool's FA Cup semi final against Nottingham Forest on April 15.
Mr Williams paid tribute to the efforts of campaigners who have fought to reveal the truth about the cover up, and expressed sadness at those who had died before they could see the conclusion.
He said: "I just feel for the family members who are not here to see it. People like Anne Williams, those people who have patiently driven it forward, who had the door slammed in their face so many times and they just carried on.
"There are a significant number of parents who had this opportunity taken away.
"I feel relief for the people who are still here, I think it so positive they get to see that, but that is tinged with sadness that there are people who never saw this day."
Mr Williams said that questions must now be answered over official involvement in the attempt to cover up responsibility for the tragedy – including alterations made to witness statements and police notebooks.
He said: "For me there are massive questions to answer about the perversion of justice. Who are these faceless people who altered statements, police notebooks, ambulance records? That is an area that needs to be looked into. We need to send a message out that this cannot happen in the future."
Mr Williams has said the cover up that followed the disaster compounded the agony for those involved and their families.
He said: "The level of incompetence not to close the central pen doors before opening the main gates. Failing to divert those entering to the empty corners beggars belief.
"It is a mistake that is so bad it is hard to comprehend.
"To then compound it by misleading through all sorts of smokescreens is the criminal act. For me, people make mistakes but as a professional member of the emergency services it is unforgiveable to try and cover up mistakes. We have a duty to learn.
"In my career in the fire service I have made mistakes and I am sure I will make mistakes again but I go out there to look after people, not myself and that is the primary concern and that was not the primary concern of people in charge on the day."
