The University of Manchester and Garden Court North Chambers are set to host a lecture on 13 February 2025, by award-winning Guardian journalist David Conn, on the Hillsborough disaster, and the subsequent legal failings that led to a decades-long fight for justice.
The disaster, which occurred on Saturday 15 April 1989 at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, caused the deaths of 97 people and injuries to hundreds more, in a crush on the overcrowded terraces of Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium.
Police blamed the victims rather than safety failings
Despite the overwhelming evidence of negligence and safety failings, the South Yorkshire police blamed the victims, alleging that Liverpool supporters had misbehaved, a narrative amplified by parts of the media. Families fought for 21 years against the first inquest verdict of accidental death before it was finally quashed in 2012.
At the new inquest in 2016, the jury determined that the 97 people were unlawfully killed due to gross negligence by the police match commander, that there was a series of other failings by the police, emergency services and Sheffield Wednesday, and that no behaviour of supporters contributed to the disaster. Criminal prosecutions followed but resulted in only one conviction of the former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary. for a health and safety offence.
Journalist David Conn helped the families fight for justice
Guardian Investigations Correspondent David Conn, who won the Press Awards News Reporter of the Year in 2024, has covered the tragedy and the families’ fight for justice for nearly 30 years. His work helped to establish the Hillsborough Independent Panel, whose 2012 report led to the quashing of the first inquest verdict. Conn has also highlighted legal injustices like racial bias in ‘Joint Enterprise’ laws and systemic failures in accountability.
In his lecture on Thursday 13 February, Conn will discuss the legal failures that followed the disaster, and discuss the Hillsborough Law, the principal reform families are calling for which would impose a statutory duty of candour for police and public authorities, and ensure that victims of disasters or state related deaths have the funding for lawyers to represent them at inquests and inquiries. Human rights barrister Pete Weatherby KC, who has long advocated for Hillsborough Law, will explain its purpose and provide a response to the lecture, with Anna Morris KC chairing the discussion.
This inaugural Mark George Memorial Lecture honours the late Head of Garden Court North Chambers, who represented 22 Hillsborough families during the 2014-16 inquiry. George played a pivotal role as legal counsel for 22 families during the Hillsborough Inquiry (2014-16), helping uncover the truth after nearly three decades of struggle. The series honours his dedication to justice, education and advocacy.
The event also marks the launch of Conn’s Simon Industrial and Professional Fellowship, which brings him together with experts from the university to advance research into fairness in legal processes and amplify voices impacted by injustice.
David said:
The Hillsborough families suffered grievous injustice in the legal system after the loss of their loved ones and had to fight for decades to have the truth recognised and for justice.
Mark George was a great advocate for the families, as one of the leading lawyers who worked so hard to achieve the landmark inquest verdict in 2016. It is a great privilege to be asked to deliver the lecture in his memory, and I hope to discuss some of the crucial issues in the series of injustices which the families, survivors and their supporters had to fight against for so many years.
Professor Eithne Quinn:
This lecture series honours him and marks a deepening relationship between our University and leading human rights barristers’ chambers Garden Court North. David delivering the first lecture highlights his decades of investigations and reporting on the Hillsborough families’ justice campaign. This event will expose the urgent need for the landmark ‘Hillsborough Law’ and raise vital questions about legal reform.
Pete Weatherby KC from Garden Court Chambers said this:
Mark was many things – a radical barrister, formidable advocate, opponent of the death penalty, lifelong socialist, student of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies at Cambridge, and Chelsea FC supporter – but above all, a man of integrity, kindness, and wisdom. He combined humanity with fierce intellectual commitment. Whether defending protesters or representing Hillsborough families, Mark gave everything to his clients.
Mark is a much-missed friend and colleague, and I am glad that a lecture being held in his memory will highlight the importance of the Hillsborough Law – if it was in place in 1989, the truth could not have been concealed. Those hiding it would have known they’d be found out and prosecuted. This sophisticated bill has a clear purpose and should be urgently introduced.
The event will take place at The University of Manchester’s Alliance Manchester Business School, followed by a drinks reception and buffet open to all attendees. To register for a free ticket, click here.
