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Jenni Hicks, whose daughters Victoria (15) and Sarah (19) tragically died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, has expressed her ongoing determination to seek justice. “Every time I say, ‘That’s it – I’m done now’, I look at the photographs of my daughters and I think, ‘I can’t be done’,” she told the BBC. Both Jenni and her former husband, Trevor Hicks, are leading a new campaign aimed at revising official court records from the 1990s, which inaccurately indicate that their children lost consciousness within seconds and died just minutes after the terrace crush. This version of events has been challenged by extensive evidence from later inquiries, including a second set of inquests in 2016, which revealed that many victims remained conscious for at least half an hour after the incident.
The campaign hinges on correcting these court records, but the Hicks family has encountered resistance. South Yorkshire Police’s consent is required to officially amend the statements, yet Jenni and Trevor say the force has so far declined to allow a fresh hearing. Chief Constable Lauren Poultney responded to inquiries, stating, “Under my leadership, South Yorkshire Police will take the steps available to us to support the families in achieving a sense of justice.” Jenni and Trevor plan to launch a renewed effort urging the justice system, courts, and politicians to explore mechanisms to amend the misleading legal records.
The incorrect records stem from a civil lawsuit in the early 1990s, where families of those who perished sued South Yorkshire Police over the suffering endured by their loved ones. Victoria and Sarah Hicks became representative cases. Despite the family’s appeal reaching the House of Lords, the ruling favored the police, and the Hicks family faced significant legal expenses. Central to this was the so-called “30 second rule,” a false assumption that every victim was unconscious within half a minute—a conclusion disproved by later evidence. The police also relied on claims that all victims had died before 15:15 GMT, which was later confirmed to be inaccurate. The courts had described Sarah and Victoria’s deaths as “swift and sudden,” based on medical evidence, but witness accounts detailed that Victoria was seen crying and in distress for some time, with Sarah similarly observed panicked and deeply upset about her younger sister.
Medical testimony presented during the more recent inquests suggested that victims who died of asphyxia likely experienced intermittent pressures, causing physical injuries and varying levels of consciousness over extended periods. On the upcoming Monday, Jenni and Trevor will address a parliamentary event in Westminster, hosted by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, which will gather MPs, peers, and legal experts to scrutinize the issue. Although Chief Constable Poultney was invited to attend, she declined, offering instead to meet the Hicks family privately at a later date. Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, representing the Hicks family, emphasized that the case raises broad questions about the legal system’s willingness and capacity to rectify itself: “This is about whether the legal system has the courage and the mechanisms to correct itself when later evidence proves earlier assumptions to be false.”
Gallagher highlighted the unequivocal findings of the 2012 Hillsborough Independent Panel and subsequent inquests, noting, “This was not a ‘swift and sudden death’ for Sarah and Victoria – far from it. For an agonising hour they suffered prolonged pain and suffering and yet the formal legal record remains unchanged. That cannot be right and we are determined to set the record straight.” Jenni Hicks reflected on the legal battle, stating, “For myself and Trevor, this was the last thing we can do in a legal court for our children. But this is not just about correcting it for our beautiful daughters, it’s for everyone who died that day, and for other families that find themselves facing similar injustices and incorrect legal records.” Chief Constable Poultney acknowledged the mistakes made by her force, expressing regret: “I wish Mr and Mrs Hicks the best for the parliamentary event,” she said, recognizing the distress caused by both the initial court findings and the absence of a route to challenge them
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