The first opening of Gate C

1. As detailed in paragraphs 4.62–4.71, at 2.47pm, Supt Marshall contacted the PCB to ask for the exit gates to be opened, in an attempt to relieve the crush outside. However, he received no response.
    
2. In the meantime, Insp Purdy returned to Gate C with the intention of opening it. In his original account, Insp Purdy described what he did next: “I returned to the barrier on the side of the turnstile. I organised the horses to block off the gates at the perimeter [outer perimeter gates]. It seemed that we could deal with the numbers in there if we contained the people outside. When that was secure by all the horses, now five perhaps, and uniform PC's, I caused the gate [Gate C] to be opened down the side.”
    
3. He told the Taylor Inquiry that he had decided to open Gate C to create a space for people being brought under the funnel bar. He added that, because of its concealed location down the side, it seemed the best gate to open. In a 2015 statement to Operation Resolve, he also noted that there was no direct pressure on Gate C at the time.
    
4. Gate C, like the other exit gates, could only be opened from the inside. Operation Resolve established that stewards operating Gate C frequently opened it to let police officers and other authorised personnel in and out of the ground. Police officers also used the gate to eject supporters. Between 2.29pm and 2.48pm, Gate C opened 24 times for these purposes. No supporters entered the ground on these occasions.
    
5. SWFC CCTV footage shows that at 14:48:23, while Insp Purdy was heading towards Gate C with the intention of opening it, a police officer on the inside approached Gate C with a supporter who was being ejected. (Operation Resolve has been unable to identify the supporter ejected through Gate C, or the police officer with him.) PS Morgan was standing nearby among a group of officers.
    
6. This time, when the gate was opened by the steward, it remained open for over 30 seconds. There was a rapid influx of supporters; Insp Purdy was caught up in this and ended up on the inner concourse.
    
7. After the initial surprise, officers tried to close the gate. Figure 4M, taken from SYP CCTV footage timed at 14:48:55, shows a mounted officer positioning his horse across the open Gate C to stop the supporters from entering. A second mounted officer approached from the left.

Image

Figure 4M: Mounted officers positioning themselves in front of Gate C, 14:48:55 (Source: SYP CCTV)

1. Thirty seconds later, the picture looked very different (see figure 4N). Gate C was closed and mounted officers had cleared the area in front of the gate of supporters. Insp Purdy and PS Morgan have been identified inside Gate C.

Image

Figure 4N: The situation at Gate C at 14:49:26 (Source: SYP CCTV)

1. Estimates suggest that between 130 and 180 supporters entered the ground through Gate C in this first opening. Once through the gate, they had free access to the stadium. Officers inside received no warning that spectators were entering in this way and had no influence over where these supporters went once inside.
    
2. As the evidence considered here shows, there remains a high degree of confusion and uncertainty about exactly who, if anyone, authorised the opening of Gate C at 2.48pm. Though it appears that officers outside—including Supt Marshall and Insp Purdy—wanted to open the gate to relieve the pressure on the turnstiles, there is no clear link between Supt Marshall’s radio request and the actual opening of the gate. 
    
3. Officers in the PCB have recalled that, though they had heard the request, the 2.48pm opening of Gate C took them by surprise and led them to the view that it had burst open. In his original account, Ch Supt Duckenfield said that while he was considering Supt Marshall’s request, he saw on the CCTV monitor that the gate opened, supporters came in and then mounted officers managed to control the situation and shut the gate again.