Hillsborough officer agrees previous crush was precursor to disaster

Roger Marshall, superintendent outside turnstiles, tells inquest he was not aware of overcrowding at previous years semi-final

The South Yorkshire police officer who was in command outside Hillsborough at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final when 96 people died in a crush has agreed that crushing at the semi-final the previous year was a precursor to the disaster, but said it was not recognised by the police.

Roger Marshall, a superintendent in 1989 in charge of 270 police officers outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of the Hillsborough football ground, told the new inquest into the disaster that he had not known of the overcrowding on the terraces central pens in 1988. The inquest has heard that that year, at the semi-final between the same two clubs, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, the central pens became overcrowded, some supporters endured crushing, and police closed the tunnel leading to those central pens to stop any more people entering that area.

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