A key figure in the fight for justice after the Hillsborough disaster has died, a campaign group has announced.
Phil Hammond, who lost his teenage son in the tragedy, is being remembered as a “very kind, fair, honest and humble man” by members of the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG), of which Hammond is chairman. , fighting for truth and justice over Hammond's actions. Her son and 96 others were killed.
In 1989, his 14-year-old son Philip was killed in a tragic FA Cup semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest at Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium, in which 97 Liverpool fans were killed.
The Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance wrote: 'We are sorry to hear of the death of Phil Hammond. He was reunited with his son Philip. Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who knew him. there is.”
Liverpool FC said: “Everyone at LFC is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Phil Hammond.''
In a 2012 interview with the Guardian, Mr Hammond said Prime Minister David Cameron's apology to the family for the failure of the authorities to protect people, to blame fans and to cast doubt on the original coroner's inquest had been over 23 years. He said it was the first time a government official had said so. year.
“I'm glad that we've finally gotten to where we are now, with the country finally understanding the truth and what my family was fighting for. We now feel that those responsible should be brought to justice. But… “It was a huge part of my life,” he said.
On the day of the match, Hammond was watching snooker at home, but was interrupted by a BBC report about the disturbances at Hillsborough. He recalled an inexplicable “gut feeling” that his son was in trouble. The semi-final was my son's first away game against Liverpool.
In 2016, a coronial inquest into the disaster found that 96 people who died in 1989 were unlawfully killed and that a series of failures by police and ambulance services contributed to their deaths. Thirty-seven of the deaths were teenagers, most of whom were still attending school. Twenty-six of the dead were parents.
Andrew Devine died in 2021, and the coroner ruled he was the 97th person to be unlawfully killed in Hillsborough.
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The landmark inquest, a special victory for the family, came 27 years after the disaster. During that time, families suffered, many became ill, and some died. Mr Hammond, then HFSG chairman, hit his head on an office shelf in 2008 and suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. His wife, Hilda, quit her job as a nurse to support him.
Louise Brooks, whose brother Andrew Mark Brooks died in the disaster, said she was very saddened to hear the news. “He's a very kind, fair, honest and humble person,” she told X. “Now I'm reunited with my son Phil.”
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson described Mr Hammond as a “lovely man”, adding: “His role in the fight for truth and justice over the Hillsborough tragedy will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace. ”
Hammond is survived by his wife Hilda and son Graham.
