Page:Hillsborough Taylor Interim Report Cm765.pdf/78

 section, the end areas still had plenty of space. It was only then I became conscious that the crowd was squashing forward and wasn't able to go sideways and that's when I noticed the fencing alongside them holding them in. I saw fans being pulled up into the stand above the terraces, I saw fans climbing over into the empty areas at the side and I saw fans climbing out over the front onto the pitch which was particularly difficult because of the spikes on the top of the fencing but they were getting out.

"Play was still going on and I was in a terrible position trying to concentrate on play and having my attention taken by what was happening behind me. The ball came down to our end and Nottingham Forest won a corner, it was taken and we cleared our box area and as play was going forward over the centre line I heard a shout, 'Bruce - please help' - a desperate shout from a fan squashed up against the fencing to the right of my goal as I looked at Leppings Lane terraces. He screamed, 'Please get the fucking gate open - Help, help'. All the people who could speak were pleading for help. There were two policemen near the gate right alongside the fan who had shouted to me and so I shouted to them, 'Get the gate open'. I was still trying to concentrate on play and was still having my attention taken by what was happening behind me - there were lots of fans on the pitch behind the goal area by them too. I called again to the policemen, 'Open the fucking gate' and one just turned away from me and looked back at the crowd but the other went to the gate and opened it and it was like taking the top off a shaken coke bottle - people were everywhere on the play area around my goal. Play was still going on and it came down towards me again for the left hand corner. It was a Nottingham Forest throw-in, away to my left, the ball was out of play and a fan came up to me on the pitch and said, 'Bruce, they're killing us'. I said 'Who's killing you?', and he said 'They're crushing us-our fans'. I said 'Go and get some help', and then a policeman came on and spoke to this fan. I don't know who the fan was, and then he led him off. It was about this time I saw a policeman running onto the pitch from my right across my box and to the referee who blew up, recovered the ball and told all players to clear the pitch."

It is clear from the video that Mr Grobbelaar's recollection of the sequence of events, even with regard to the game, is inaccurate in a number of respects. For example, the two Nottingham Forest corner kicks occurred minutes before Beardsley struck the bar. Further, it seems highly probable from other evidence that gates 3 and 4 were open continuously well before Mr Grobbelaar says the fan asked him to get the gate open. It seems surprising too that with all the noise Mr Grobbelaar would hear the precise words of an individual fan, let alone respond twice to them, whilst the game was in progress.

As to Mr Barnbrock's account, the evidence of PC Fiona Richardson was that she was the only policewoman on the track in the early stages although others came from the seated area as the incident developed. PC Richardson began at gate 1 and, although she did go and help people out through gate 3, she did not go to gate 4, and did not open it twice or even once. The two officers who spoke of opening gate 4 were both male.

I think Mr Grobbelaar did become conscious of distress in the crowd behind him and did speak to a police officer at some stage, probably earlier than he now thinks. Not to reach that broad conclusion would involve attributing his whole account to invention or fantasy and I see no grounds for doing so. However, his detailed account was not tested in cross-examination and its inconsistencies and errors when compared with other incontrovertible evidence would make it unsafe to derive more than the broad conclusion stated above. The incident shows how honest witnesses can become confused and their evidence flawed when recollecting events experienced under tension or emotion.

As to the opening of gate 4 there was an apparent conflict of evidence. PC Illingworth said that about five minutes to 3 he opened it and guided fans emerging through it to gate 5. PC Hooson said that it was he who opened gate 4 just before kick-off. I am satisfied from the evidence of a number of fans that, like gate 3, gate 4 was opened more than once. The probability is, therefore, that whilst PC Illingworth was shepherding fans to gate 5, gate 4 had been closed again until it was re-opened by PC Hooson two or three minutes later.

Oxygen

It was alleged by a doctor that an oxygen cylinder provided to him on the pitch was empty. Dr Phillips, a Liverpool supporter, had been in pen 3 with his brother and others. He came under pressure and climbed into pen 2. When the disaster occurred and gate 2 was opened, he went through it, injuring his head as he did so. He came onto the pitch sometime after 3.10 pm and started resuscitation procedures. He was given an oxygen cylinder. He believes this was from St John Ambulance. It was, he thought, too early to be the fire service. The cylinder was switched on but Dr Phillips says it gave no oxygen since it was empty. There was one oxygen cylinder on the St John's ambulance which came to the scene. Mr Wells, the Divisional Superintendent of St John, took that cylinder onto the pitch. He said it was effective. In particular, he recalls going to a patient being treated by Dr Phillips and says that oxygen was flowing into that patient. Moreover, Mr Wells tested the cylinder afterwards and found it was still half full. It has a capacity that will last for 5 hours 40 minutes on a high setting. Rh