Hillsborough: Jury fails to reach verdict in David Duckenfield trial

Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield, now 74, denied the charges against him in connection with the deaths of 95 Liverpool fans in the 1989 stadium disaster.The jury at Preston Crown Court spent eight days deliberating, and were told by judge Sir Peter Openshaw on Monday that he would accept a majority verdict.The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service told CNN that it will now seek a retrial in front of a new jury.Graham Mackrell, former secretary of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, was found guilty on a charge of breaching his safety duty.Mackrell was a safety officer for the club’s Hillsborough ground at the time of the disaster which happened during an FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham forest.Ninety-six men, women and children died in a fatal crush on the Leppings Lane terrace. Subsequently all-seater stadiums became compulsory in the Premier League and the Championship — English football’s second tier.Duckenfield hadn’t been charged over the death of the 96th victim who died more than a year and a day after the disaster.The UK’s Press Association reported the prosecution argued Duckenfield had the “ultimate responsibility” for safety at the ground and should have had the knowledge to make “key life-saving decisions.” However, the defense stated the case was “breathtakingly unfair” and that Duckenfield had “tried to do the right thing,” according to PA.Police had opened an exit gate to relieve a bottleneck of Liverpool fans trying to enter the venue before kick-off.More than 3,000 fans were funneled into a standing area with a safe capacity for just 1,600 people.The fatal crush led to the game abandoned after just six minutes with fans spilling onto the pitch as the scale of the disaster became clear.