Hillsborough jury allowed majority decision on whether 96 were unlawfully killed

A Liverpool football club supporter looks at floral tributes and memorabilia ahead of a memorial service to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England on April 15, 2009
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The jury in the Hillsborough inquests are allowed a majority decision on whether the 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in the 1989 tragedy.

The jury in the Hillsborough inquests has been told that a majority decision will be accepted in relation to whether 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in the 1989 disaster.

The nine jurors have been considering their answers to a 14-part questionnaire for the last 19 days after hearing two years of evidence.

Today, the coroner told the jury in Warrington that an 8-1 or 7-2 majority conclusion will be accepted if a unanimous one cannot be met for question six, which reads: "Are you satisfied, so that you are sure, that those who died in the disaster were unlawfully killed?"

The jury has confirmed that unanimous decisions have been reached on the 13 other questions, one of which relates to South Yorkshire Police's planning for the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest 27 years ago on April 15.

On that day, 96 people lost their lives when a crush occurred in the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium.

The original inquests in 1991 delivered a conclusion of accidental deaths, but they were reopened when evidence of an alleged police cover-up came to light in 2014.

Memphis Depay looks on during the FA Cup fifth-round match between Shrewsbury Town and Manchester United on February 22, 2016
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