3.15 cut-off for evidence at original Hillsborough inquest was "highly controversial"

The Hillsborough coroner, Lord Justice Goldring has details of the format of the first inquests, including the generic hearing which was held between November 1990 and March 1991.

He told the jury "The [original] coroner decided that the inquest should only investigate events on the day of the disaster until a cut-off time of 3.15pm. That is some 2 mins after the first ambulance arrived on the pitch.

"His reasoning was it was not necessary to look at events which happened after fatal injuries were suffered unless those events might have made a difference to the death; on the evidence of pathologist, all those who died died of crushing injuries which caused traumatic asphyxia; Within a few mins of each injury the person would have suffered irreversible brain damage and been beyond successful resuscitation;

"His reasoning ran, based on the evidence of the mini inquests, each of those who died was beyond saving by 3.15pm at the latest. From the start this was a highly controversial decision which many of the bereaved families very strongly disputed."

Lord Justice Goldring told jurors briefly about other hearings since the disaster, including civil litigations, the Stuart-Smith scrutiny, private prosecutions and the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

He said the jury will are also likely to hear from officers from two new independent investigations - Operation Resolve and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

"The fact that IPCC is involved should not be taken as an indication that any police officer necessarily did anything wrong," he said.

Lord Justice Goldring also explained his decision to hear the new inquests before the two independent investigations had completed their work.

"I decided that it was not in the public interest for the new inquest to be deferred possibly for a very long time. The families, and they will forgive me for saying so, are not getting any younger. Some family members have died, and I took the view that the inquests had to be heard."

"There was a risk that those investigation might turn up some new evidence after the inquests had concluded. All interested parties stood and understand that."

The coroner said that a vast amount of work has been done to prepare for the fresh inquests.

"Hundreds of thousand of pages of documents have been disclosed. New documentary material has been gathered and reviewed. New experts in a range of disciplines have been instructed."