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'I'm dying, help me': Hillsborough survivor tells of friend's last moments Hillsborough police officer praises ‘absolute hero’ Liverpool fan
(about 2 hours later)
The friend of a teenager who died with 95 other people in the crush at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough has described him as being “petrified,” and pleading for his life, during his last moments in the overcrowded “pen” of the football ground’s Leppings Lane terrace. A former South Yorkshire police constable who was on duty at Hillsborough when 96 people died in a crush has described as “an absolute hero” a Liverpool fan who enabled people to be saved.
James Thomas, visibly restraining his emotions while giving evidence at the new inquests into the disaster, said he would have done anything to help Gary Church, but could not move at all himself and was struggling to breathe as the crush tightened. Denis Webster, an officer of 20 years’ service at the time of the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, was overcome with emotion when describing the horror of the day at the new inquests into the disaster.
Their group of friends had been separated during surges in the crowded pen at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground, and Thomas had found himself close only to Church in front of a crush barrier, which then collapsed. Thomas said he caught a glimpse of Church’s face as they fell forward with great force, and that was the last he saw of him. He said a pile of bodies was blocking the gate in the fence in front of Hillsborough’s Leppings Lane terraces, and “a lad from Liverpool,” whom he never saw again, “pushed with all his might” to enable police to clear bodies and get people out.
The friends, all young Liverpool supporters, had met up outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles to watch the match against Nottingham Forest together. In the lethal crush which happened in pen three of the terrace, Church, 19 at the time, Simon Bell, 17, and Christopher Devonside, 18, all died. Four of their friends came to the inquests, 26 years on, to give evidence about their last sightings of the young men in the horror of the crush. “He was a hero, an absolute hero,” Webster said. “A lot of people didn’t suffer injuries that day because of what he did.”
Thomas, and another friend, Will Hutt, recalled Devonside, who was studying for his A-levels at the time, becoming “perturbed” that the pen was overcrowded, and wanting to move out of it. Webster recalled that he had tried in vain to revive Gary Church, then 19, who had been trapped in the crush in pen 3 of the terrace at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground. Two more teenagers in a large group of friends who went to the match with Church were also killed: Simon Bell, 17, and Christopher Devonside, 18.
“The only conversation we had was that it was very packed,” Thomas said, “and we were concerned. But the main concern was that we couldn’t do anything about it. There was talk of trying to move out and go somewhere else, but there was no question of that happening. It was just an idea.” Four of their friends gave evidence at the court in Warrington, 26 years on, about what happened and their last sightings of the three young men. James Thomas, visibly restraining his emotions in the witness box, described Church as having been “petrified,” and screaming, pleading for his life, during his last moments in the pen.
Thomas, picking himself and Church out on colour BBC footage of the crush – played to a silent courtroom including family and friends of the three teenagers – recalled Church’s fears as the crush tightened towards the semi-final’s 3pm kick-off. The friends had become separated during surges, and Thomas had found himself close only to Church in front of a crush barrier, which then collapsed. He said he caught a glimpse of Church’s face as they fell forward with great force, and that was the last he saw of him.
“Gary was asking me for help; he looked very distressed,” Thomas said. “He shouted my nickname, ‘Dava’. ‘Help me.’ He said: ‘I’m dying, help me.’ I shouted back to him that I couldn’t help him. I said: ‘I can’t; I can’t move.’ And he looked at me very angrily. He said: ‘You fucking bastard.’ Thomas and another friend, Will Hutt, recalled that Devonside – who was studying for his A-levels at the time – became “perturbed” that the pen was overcrowded, and wanted to move, but it was impossible.
Picking out himself and Church on colour BBC footage of the crush, played to a silent courtroom including family and friends of the three teenagers, Thomas recalled Church’s fears before the semi-final kicked off, at 3pm on 15 April 1989.
“Gary was asking me for help. He looked very distressed,” Thomas said. “He shouted my nickname, ‘Dava’: ‘Help me.’ He said: ‘I’m dying, help me.’ I shouted back to him that I couldn’t help him. I said: ‘I can’t; I can’t move.’ And he looked at me very angrily; he said: ‘You fucking bastard.’
“I couldn’t help him because I was in the same position as him, which was fighting for his life. I’ll never forget the look on his face.”“I couldn’t help him because I was in the same position as him, which was fighting for his life. I’ll never forget the look on his face.”
Asked by Christina Lambert QC, for the coroner, Sir John Goldring, about his impressions of Church at that time, Thomas said: “He was frightened. He was very, very scared. He looked in fear of his life, absolutely petrified.” When he made the cry for help, Thomas said: “He was screaming, shouting, because he couldn’t breathe.” Asked by Christina Lambert QC, for the coroner, Sir John Goldring, about his impressions of Church at that time, Thomas said: “He was frightened. He was very, very scared. He looked in fear of his life, absolutely petrified.”
Asked if he would have helped Church, whom Thomas said would have been within touching distance if he could have moved his arms, he said: “If I could have helped him I would have done. I would have done anything for him. I would have saved him if I could have done.” Asked if he would have helped Church, who Thomas said was within touching distance if he could have moved his arms, he said: “If I could have helped him I would have done. I would have done anything for him.”
Another friend, Jason Kenworthy, pointed himself out on BBC footage crouched on top of a crush barrier before the disaster happened, knocking a beachball about in the crowd. When one powerful surge happened, around the time of the kick-off, Kenworthy said he quickly got out through a gate in the pen’s perimeter fence at the front. He spent 20 minutes looking for Devonside, and finally found him laid on the pitch. The film showed police officers bent over Devonside, then Kenworthy and six other people taking his body up the pitch, on an advertising hoarding being used as a makeshift stretcher. Another friend, Jason Kenworthy, pointed himself out on BBC footage crouched on top of a crush barrier before the disaster happened, knocking a beachball about in the crowd.
A doctor, Matthew Bull, who was at the match as a spectator, told the court that he went to the Leppings Lane end of the pitch when he realised there were problems, and he made quick assessments of Devonside, Church, and another of the 96 who died, Peter Burkett, who was 24. Bull said he had no specific recollection of around 10 people he examined and tried to revive; he believed resuscitation of one had been successful, but has never heard any details about that person. None of the others survived, he said. After a powerful surge around the time of the kick-off, Kenworthy said he quickly got out through the gate, then spent 20 minutes looking for Christopher Devonside – during which he asked the Liverpool goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar, to get the match stopped – before finding Devonside laid on the pitch. The film showed police officers bent over Devonside, then Kenworthy bending over him.
Taken through the BBC footage of his efforts by Pete Weatherby QC, for the Devonside and Church families and some of Burkett’s relatives, Bull accepted that he did not appear to examine Burkett before moving away from him, that his examination of Devonside was quick at around 11 seconds, and his resuscitation efforts of Church, of around three minutes, were short. Asked what he was doing, Kenworthy replied: “Trying to talk to him. Trying to wake him up, if you like.”
Bull said he believed he would have had no doubts that the three young men were dead, before he moved on to other people he could help, but he described the situation on the pitch as “confused” and “haphazard”. Kenworthy and six other people then carried Devonside, using an advertising hoarding as a makeshift stretcher, up the pitch to the gymnasium, where police directed that dead bodies should be brought.
A doctor, Matthew Bull, who was at the match as a spectator, told the court that he had gone to the Leppings Lane end of the pitch when he realised there were problems and, without being directed by anybody, looked for people to help. Bull said he had no specific recollection of about 10 people he examined and tried to revive. He believed one resuscitation had been successful but has never heard any details about that person.
Bull was taken through the BBC footage of his efforts by Pete Weatherby QC, for the Devonside and Church families and relatives of another of the 96 who died, Peter Burkett, 24. He accepted that he did not appear to examine Burkett before moving away from him, that his examination of Devonside was quick at around 11 seconds, and his resuscitation attempts of Church, lasting about three minutes, were short.
Bull said he believed he would have had no doubts that the three young men were dead before he moved on to other people, but he described the scene on the pitch as “confused” and “haphazard.”
The inquests continue.The inquests continue.