The Taylor Inquiry

¶1.105 The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and the Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, visited Hillsborough on 16 April. They were accompanied by the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, Peter Wright, and other senior officers. The following day Lord Justice Taylor was appointed by the Home Secretary to conduct a judicial inquiry into the disaster. The terms of reference were: 'to inquire into the events at Sheffield Wednesday football ground on 15 April 1989 and to make recommendations about the needs of crowd control and safety at sports events'.

¶1.106 Geoffrey Dear, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, was invited to conduct the criminal investigation into Hillsborough and to gather evidence for the Taylor Inquiry, which commenced its work on 24 April. He appointed his Assistant Chief Constable, Mervyn Jones, to the Inquiry. The WMP team also had the responsibility for the criminal investigation for the SYP Chief Constable and the DPP. WMP officers also worked as coroner's officers for the inquests.

¶1.107 On 26 April a group of SYP officers met to discuss a process of statement-taking from officers involved at Hillsborough. This followed advice from the Force solicitors regarding the gathering of all officers' 'recollections' of their experiences on the day. The group was convened by Chief Superintendent Terry Wain and established the process of collating recollections as the basis for the 'proof of evidence' necessary for the Taylor Inquiry.

¶1.108 The recollections, referred to as 'self-written' or 'self-taken', were not taken under Criminal Justice Act rules. They would also form the foundation for the presentation of a 'suitable case' to the Inquiries that followed. The Wain Inquiry was announced by the South Yorkshire Deputy Chief Constable, Peter Hayes, on 2 May and a document was issued explaining the process to be followed in responding to the internal Inquiry's requirements.

¶1.109 In C/Supt Wain's written announcement he stated:

On behalf of the Chief Constable, Mr Wright, I am gathering information to enable the Force to present its evidence to the forthcoming Committee of Inquiry. This exercise has no connection with the investigation into the policing of the FA semi-final which is being conducted by a team headed by Mr Dear, Chief Constable of West Midlands.

¶1.110 The internal Inquiry was the first of several 'parallel investigations' to evolve and raise important questions about their standing and relationships.

¶1.111 The day after his appointment LJ Taylor and his team visited Hillsborough and ten days later he held a preliminary hearing at which the date of oral hearings was announced. Solicitors representing families formed the Hillsborough Solicitors' Group Steering Committee, often referred to as the Hillsborough Steering Committee. The Committee's priority was to 'ensure that all facts ... come out', concentrating 'upon issues which will affect civil liability ... issues of safety and crowd control'.

¶1.112 It stated that LJ Taylor had 'made clear' his intention 'to find facts and not apportion blame'. Evidence taken by LJ Taylor would be 'determined by Counsel and Solicitors to the Inquiry' (the Treasury Solicitor's team) after their consideration of 'all witness statements submitted'. Evidence submitted to the Inquiry was not disclosed.

¶1.113 LJ Taylor 'accorded representation' to:

the bereaved and injured
the Football Supporters' Association
the FA
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (SWFC)
SYP
the South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority.

¶1.114 This list was extended to include SYMAS and Dr Wilfred Eastwood, consultant engineer to the Club. LJ Taylor authorised that costs of legal representation incurred by the bereaved and survivors would be met from public funds.

¶1.115 On 15 May the Taylor Inquiry hearings opened at Sheffield Town Hall. Members of the public were invited to call a Freephone number to offer information. Twenty-eight lines were open for six days and WMP officers evaluated 2,666 calls, using a basic questionnaire, to assess the 'quality' of evidence.

¶1.116 The investigation team also registered 3,776 statements, and 1,550 letters were received. LJ Taylor stated that 'From this mass it was essential to select only sufficient good and reliable evidence necessary to establish the facts and causes of the disaster'.

¶1.117 SYP, however, submitted that in such a brief time period the WMP investigation was insufficient, arguing that much evidence had not been collected. It concluded that it was 'unsafe' for LJ Taylor 'to make findings of fact' at such an early stage.

¶1.118 While accepting that witnesses selected to give oral evidence constituted 'only a small fraction of those from whom statements were or could have been taken', LJ Taylor was 'satisfied that they were sufficient in number and reliability' to ensure 'the necessary conclusions' could be achieved.

¶1.119 In aiming to publish an Interim Report within four months he had been 'assured' by the WMP Chief Constable that it was 'most unlikely' that further evidence gathered would 'significantly alter or add to the history of events which emerged at the hearing'.