The verdict of unlawful killing by the inquest into the deaths of 96 football fans at Hillsborough was a watershed moment for everyone in Liverpool. But forgiveness is another matter

unlawful killing. The verdict of the inquest into the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool football fans lost their lives, has been a moment of release for the families, for the  injured – and for the thousands of Liverpool fans who watched the tragedy unfold 27 years ago at the start of the FA Cup semi-final match at the Sheffield Wednesday ground. It is also a release for the city of Liverpool.

“Many bereaved families and survivors are remarkably resilient. Yet beneath the surface lies unimaginable grief, compounded by an overwhelming sense of injustice,” Professor Phil Scraton, an expert on the city and the disaster, wrote in his definitive book on the subject seven years ago.

The events of 15 April 1989 at the Hillsborough Stadium came at a troubled time in Liverpool’s history. Recession had hit hard with job losses; efforts to regenerate the city after the 1981 Toxteth riots, with a garden festival and refurbished docks, did not compensate for that. The city council was at loggerheads with the Thatcher Government. Fourteen Liverpool fans were in prison, having been convicted of manslaughter after the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster when 39 Juventus fans died after a wall collapsed.