Cash taken in stadium disaster was given to charity

Bent and twisted fencing at Hillsborough in the aftermath of the stadium tragedy

The force said yesterday there is “no reason” to believe proper processes were not followed, after reports that cash £14.53 in cash was gathered from the football ground in Sheffield after a terrace crush claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans in April 1989.

According to a 1992 South Yorkshire Police document - unearthed as part of the work of the Hillsborough Independent Panel - the money was among a range of unclaimed property left in the stadium after the disaster.

It was banked by the police finance department according to the procedures in place at the time, the force said yesterday.

Hillsborough campaigners spoke of their shock at the finding, saying it was “beyond belief” that the force kept the money which, they said, should have been donated to the victims’ fund.

Sheila Coleman, from the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, told the Independent: “That the force responsible for the deaths of 96 people kept some of the money found at Hillsborough is beyond belief. The fact that they decided to keep it, and not even consider donating it to the disaster fund, speaks volumes as to the mind-set of the South Yorkshire Police and their contempt for Liverpool football fans and their friends and families.”

A statement issued by the South Yorkshire Police force criticised the “misleading” allegation and stressed the cash was found at the ground and not on victims.

It said: “South Yorkshire Police were obliged by law to place unclaimed monies into the Police Property Act Fund maintained by the then Police Authority which would then have been available, with other unclaimed monies, for payment towards charitable purposes.”

It added the force was unable to say which charity had benefited as the records no longer exist. “Such financial documents were only required by law to be retained for six years and were then disposed of.

“There is no reason whatsoever to believe that the proper processes were not followed in this instance.” The force’s response to 1989 events are under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.