The Hicks family campaign has received further support as they fight to change the public record of how two teenage sisters died at Hillsborough
Sarah and Victoria Hicks, who died at Hillsborough
Sarah and Victoria Hicks, who died at Hillsborough
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The false records of how two teenage sisters died at Hillsborough "prolong trauma and leave the family facing a second injustice". Independent Public Advocate Cindy Butts has lent her support to the Hicks' family's campaign to change the public record of how teen sisters Sarah and Victoria died during the 1989 stadium disaster.
Jenni and Trevor Hicks are seeking formal recognition that their daughters did not lose consciousness within 30 seconds and die shortly thereafter, as South Yorkshire Police claimed for years, but that they actually suffered for significantly longer. The "30-second rule" was relied upon in civil litigations following Hillsborough to argue that victims lost consciousness almost immediately and therefore didn't suffer.
But overwhelming evidence from subsequent investigations, including a second set of inquests following the Hillsborough Independent Panel, found many victims were conscious at least half an hour later. The record can be corrected if South Yorkshire Police, the heavily-criticised force who fed a false narrative to the media in a bid to cover up its own mistakes, agree to a fresh hearing and read a revised statement in open court.
Ms Butts, who leads the office responsible for providing support to victims of major incidents, said on Wednesday: "Jenni and Trevor’s campaign for a Hicks' Rule speaks to something profoundly simple and deeply important: the truth matters. No family should have to fight for decades to correct an official record that has been proven wrong.
"When inaccurate records are allowed to stand, they don’t just distort history - they prolong trauma, shape how loss is understood, and leave families facing a second injustice. A Hicks' rule would provide a clear, independent and compassionate way to correct the record. Accuracy, dignity and fairness should never depend on institutional consent, and I fully support this vital call for change."
Trevor Hicks and Jenni Hicks, the parents of two teenagers - Sarah Hicks and Victoria Hicks
Trevor Hicks and Jenni Hicks, the parents of two teenagers - Sarah Hicks and Victoria Hicks
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South Yorkshire Police has offered "unreserved apologies" to the Hicks but have so far refused to apply with them to make the statement which would correct the record. Trevor said: "South Yorkshire Police could fix this almost immediately. But they are refusing to do so. They are adding insult to injury. If they really wanted to support us, as they say they do, then they’d make that application with us for a statement in open court."
South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Lauren Poultney said: "I acknowledge the huge distress that must have been caused to you by the court’s findings. If that case was to be re-run today, it would not be defended by South Yorkshire Police, and I apologise for the fact that the case was contested in 1991.
"I offer my sincere apologies for the pain and suffering endured by Sarah and Vicki. I offer my unreserved apologies to each of you, to all of those who lost loved ones, and particularly those who lost their lives, during, and as a result of the major disaster at Hillsborough stadium."
Jenni added: "The chief constable, who claims to want to help us, is forcing us to go down the legal route yet again. Haven’t we suffered and campaigned enough over the last three decades to get to the truth and to uncover a cover up which started on the night of the disaster? I call on South Yorkshire Police to finally do the right thing.
Sarah and Victoria Hicks, who both died at Hillsborough
Sarah and Victoria Hicks, who both died at Hillsborough
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"The Hicks' Rule will help all victims of Hillsborough by correcting the record. But it will also help many others in future who are victims of a cover up, or a miscarriage of justice like we have been."
Among those supporting the Hicks' Rule campaign are Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, who questioned whether the country had faced up to the Hillsborough cover-up. He said: "Why are these parents still in this place having to argue about the truth about what happened to their daughters?
"You can't help but think that we still have a problematic issue with truth in this country. How can any public body, particularly a police force, allow a false public record? Surely now we've got to the point when they should be immediately writing to Trevor and Jenni to say they will testify in open court to correct it. Otherwise, the words are hollow."
The current court record says Sarah, 19, and Victoria, 15, had experienced "swift and sudden [deaths] as shown by the medical evidence". That still stands as public record - but medical and expert evidence has since demonstrated this to be false.
Multiple witnesses reported that Victoria, the only female child victim of the crush, was crying and in distress for some time, while Sarah was described as intensively panicked about the fate of her sister. It is now known that Victoria and Sarah may have survived until 3.45pm and 3.39pm respectively – an hour after the fatal crush started.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, lead counsel for the Hicks, said: "South Yorkshire Police have now given an apology to Jenni and Trevor, and they say that they want to help the family achieve “a sense of justice. Then why not match those laudable words with concrete action? They should agree to jointly apply, with Trevor and Jenni, for a statement in open court which can finally correct the decades-old flawed public record."