Families of Hillsborough victims from Warrington speak of relief following verdict

19-year-old Ian ‘Ronnie’ Whelan, of Duckworth Grove, Padgate, David Benson, 22, of Hall Nook, Penketh, 19-year-old Colin Ashcroft, of Strawberry Close, Locking Stumps and Eric Hughes, 42, of Barmouth Close, Callands, left their homes on the morning of April 15, 1989, but never returned to their loved ones.

The Warrington Guardian has spoken to their families following the historic verdict. 

Ian 'Ronnie' Whelan

SHAKING the hands of the jurors who helped to vindicate the families of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster will be a moment Wilf Whelan will never forget.

It was a dream he always hoped would become a reality but he feared this day would never come.

The fight to find justice was an uphill battle but the father of teenager Ian ‘Ronnie’ Whelan was finally able to say thank you to the nine jurors who helped to uncover the truth of the devastating series of events which unravelled on April 15, 1989, and the fatal consequences that ensued.

The 73-year-old from Padgate said: “I could not feel better that I do right now. I was gobsmacked.

“I was worried it would go the other way.

“At the end I was shaking hands with the jurors and thanking them for their diligence and hard work.”

During the final day of the inquests on Tuesday at Birchwood Park, it was revealed Ian died sometime between 2.57pm and 4.11pm with the medical cause of death identified as compression asphyxia.

Wilf, who attended the final day of the inquests alongside his wife Doris, has always refused to give up the fight to clear his 19-year old son’s name and the other 95 victims who tragically lost their lives on that fateful day.

Born at Warrington Hospital in 1970, Ian, of Duckworth Grove, was the first of two children to Mr and Mrs Whelan.

The former St Oswalds RC Primary and St John RC High School student was nicknamed Ronnie by his friends after his Liverpool hero – a name that would never leave him.

After leaving Priestley College, Ian worked at British Nuclear Fuels where he met his girlfriend Joanne.

During the inquest, Wilf revealed how Ian had left two red roses on his girlfriend’s door step before leaving for the FA Cup semi-final.

The 19-year-old unexpectedly leaving the flowers on his girlfriend’s door step was an example of his good nature, recalled his dad during the inquest which he attended regularly.

Wilf said the emotions that washed over him as the findings is impossible to describe.

While he will never forget the agonising hours that passed as he tried to find out his son’s fate or the heart-breaking 27 year wait to finally get the truth, the family can take comfort from the inquests’ findings.

“We have all fought for so many years and we finally have justice,” he said.

Colin Ashcroft

AS young children, Colin Ashcroft and his brother Gary would often play football on the streets of Birchwood.

Fast forward to 2016 and Colin’s home town would play host to the longest case ever heard by a jury in British legal history – just a stone’s throw away from where he discovered his love of the sport.

Gary, of Strawberry Close, has spoken of the emotional rollercoaster the families have faced to find the truth.  

He said: “The fight for justice has taken over 27 years.

“It has taken us back to the place where Colin and I used to play football as kids.

“This has brought it home as a family and we are pleased that the verdicts have exonerated the fans.

“My brother was just a fan who wanted to go and support his team. The things that were said were not true and that has now been proven.”

Colin, 19, died alongside 95 fellow fans when he travelled to watch his beloved team play at Hillsborough.

The teen headed to the match on a supporters coach as his mum was worried about him getting to the ground.

The former Green Lane pupil was born in Colchester weighing 4lb 3oz and had a number of health problems growing up including epilepsy.

It was six weeks before his family could take Colin home from hospital.

The family moved to Golborne and Colin was assessed and initially sent to a mainstream school.

The family then moved to Birchwood and as Colin was struggling at school, he was re-assessed and eventually moved to Green Lane in Padgate.

Despite the difficulties he faced, Colin was determined to succeed and had a great sense of humour which most adults charming.

But the family’s lives were turned upside down when the Hillsborough disaster struck.

Shortly after discovering the death of the Birchwood teenager, his family say they had little time to mourn his passing because of the lies that were spread.

Gary added: “At the time when the disaster had just happened we should have been mourning our loss and we were having to defend them and that’s made it very difficult for us over the years.

“We now feel like we can mourn as people have finally come round and faced up to what happened. Now it’s set in stone.”

On the final day of the inquests, it was ruled that Colin died between 2.57pm and 3.20pm with medical cause of death identified as compression asphyxia.

Colin’s mum Janet, who would work six days in a row at a nursing home so she could attend the inquests the following week, added: “It is difficult to describe how I am feeling. A multitude of emotions. Relief was the overwhelming one.

“We were all holding our breath and then breathed a sigh of relief.”

Eric Hughes

WHILE the enormity of the findings into the Hillsborough inquests will take some time to sink in, the son of father-of-two Eric Hughes has described the instant relief that washed over him as the verdicts were read out.

When he wasn’t working, David Hughes, 44, would travel from Skelmersdale to the inquests in Birchwood - listening to the harrowing evidence of a devastating day which left 96 families without their loved ones.

David, who was 17 years old when his dad died, said: “It’s hard to put into words – 27 years on and a lot has gone on.

“Relief is the main emotion. I don’t think it has quite sunk in the enormity of it all.

“In our eyes it was always so clear what the answer should be so when the verdict was read out it was such a huge relief.”

A devoted dad-of-two Eric, who held down jobs including a lorry driver, a taxi driver and life assurance salesman, was born in Liverpool on October 28, 1946.

From an early age, Eric, who moved to Warrington in later life, discovered a love of football and began to follow Liverpool Football Club.

In 1967 he met his wife, Pat Maxwell, and three years later the couple married before welcoming David in 1971 and his sister Nicola in 1972.

Football always played a major part in the lives of the dedicated father and his doting son.

Eric took David when he was just six years old to his first Liverpool game, on April 8, 1978: Liverpool v Leicester City and his love of football ensued.

“He would take me all over the country to watch Liverpool. We both loved watching the Reds.

“It was more important to us than anything else in the world,” revealed David during an earlier inquest hearing.

But on April 15, 1989, Eric, of Barmouth Close, Callands, did not return home from the semi-final clash at Hillsborough.

The jury concluded that Eric died later that day between 2.58pm and 4.10pm with the medical cause of death registered as compression asphyxia.

Twenty seven years on, David has called on those responsible to be held accountable for their actions which took his father.

The dad-of-four said: “We now need people to be held accountable and for prosecutions to take place.

“If you have done something wrong that has cost the lives of 96 people then something needs to be done.”

David Benson

The three grandchildren of David Benson will never get the chance to meet their grandfather but his loved ones have vowed to make sure his legacy as a loving family man lives on.

David, who was 22 at the time of the Hillsborough disaster, was one of the 96 LFC fans who left to watch the game they loved but never returned home.

He left behind his partner Lesley, now 48, and daughter Kirsty, now 29, who was two years old when her dad died.

Kirsty has since welcomed three children into the world, Cody, 8, Fynn, 2, and Hattie, who is the latest addition to the family at seven weeks old.

The family are in no doubt that David would have been an incredible grandfather to the children.

It has been an anxious 27 year wait for the family to finally have the vindication which many knew all along.

David’s parents Brian and Gloria, along with Leanne, Kirsty and her partner Rob Gore and David’s twin brother Paul, travelled to Warrington Coroner’s Court at Birchwood Park for what they hoped would be the final time on Tuesday.

Brian, 79, who lives in Penketh, said: “I just feel total elation. We have been here in court every three or four days for the past two years.

“We have been let down so many times and so many lies have been told.

“We will never forget David but I just want to go home and forgot about what’s gone on. It’s been trauma and trauma.”

Gloria, who read out a moving pen portrait at the start of the inquests revealing how she treasures the many memories they shared, added: “I will be able to sleep tonight. I feel as if I’m floating on air.”

David Benson, of Hall Nook, Penketh, and his twin brother Paul were born six weeks early in November 1966.

David started prep school at three and primary school at the age of five.

After leaving school David worked as a commercial trainee in a timber company in Widnes.

He went to most of the home matches but didn’t usually attend away games because he was so keen on playing himself.

But on April 15, 1989, David travelled to Hillsborough to watch his beloved team.

“When we went to indentify my son I sat down with two policeman and all they could ask me was ‘did he drink?’, ‘did he smoke?’, ‘did he have any drugs on him?’, ‘did he have a ticket?’,” he said.

“I was in such a state I did not realise what was happening.”

But while it will take some time to process Tuesday’s outcome, the family finally feel like they have justice for a man who will never be forgotten.