On 18 April 1989, inquests into the deaths at Hillsborough Stadium were opened, and immediately adjourned by Dr Popper. The adjournment was because there was a possibility of criminal proceedings in relation to the disaster. In such situations, it is accepted practice to defer an inquest.
A criminal investigation began in September 1989, after the publication of the Taylor Interim Report. By March 1990, with the criminal investigation work largely complete, Dr Popper sought the agreement of the DPP to restart the inquests as soon as possible.
Because the evidence was still under review by the DPP, there were limits as to what could be discussed in front of a jury at that stage. Dr Popper proposed holding the inquests in phases. There would be a series of individual inquests (these have sometimes been referred to as ‘mini inquests’) to confirm the identity of each of those who died, along with the medical cause of death, and where and when they died. Once the DPP reached his decision about whether anyone should be prosecuted, and potentially after any trials that followed, there would then be a generic hearing examining the circumstances leading up to the deaths. This proposal was accepted by all parties, including solicitors representing the families.
The individual inquests took place between 18 April 1990 and 4 May 1990. SYP officers were not required to present any evidence at the hearings.
On 30 August 1990, the DPP announced that no one would be charged with a criminal offence in relation to the disaster, meaning the generic hearing could freely take place. It began on 19 November 1990 and ended on 28 March 1991. It heard evidence from 230 witnesses, including 62 serving SYP officers and three witnesses described as retired SYP officers. The jury returned majority verdicts of accidental death in all 95 cases. Anthony (Tony) Bland died in hospital on 3 March 1993. His death was therefore not considered in the Popper Inquests, nor was that of Andrew Devine, who died in 2021.
A significant proportion of the officers who gave evidence commented on the behaviour of supporters and in particular about their alleged levels of alcohol consumption. This was despite the findings of the Taylor Interim Report that the great majority of supporters at the game were not drunk, nor even the worse for drink.
When the Lord Chief Justice announced in 2012 that the verdicts of the Popper Inquests were to be quashed and new inquests opened, one of the reasons he gave was the prominence given to alcohol levels among the Liverpool supporters. Another was the tendency by SYP to blame the supporters, which the Lord Chief Justice described as “disappointingly tenacious”.
