Hillsborough victim's sister: I am my brother's voice
Andrew Brookes, 26, died at Hillsborough. His sister Louise read her statement about him to the inquest in Warrington.
He was born in December 1962 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the first child and only son of George and Gillian.
He worked at Land Rover's Longbridge plant with his dad and most of his friends.
"Andrew was a lovely man who I was and still am immensely proud to have as a brother. He had the patience of a saint and due to the 9 years' age difference was more like a father than a brother to me."
She described him as a very strict, very dignified man and who didn’t like any attention being drawn to himself.
Andrew was a very sporty person, loving football, golf, darts and snooker. He was also the manager of a local Sunday league football team, Bromsgrove Dynamo.
"He was always a Liverpool fan. I remember his bedroom being covered in posters.
I have never head a bad word about my brother."
Louise Brookes said her brother never got into any trouble with the police during his life.
"I remember my mum saying after he died that... the only time Andrew ever brought the police was when they brought his clothes home in a plastic bag.”
"I feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful brother. He taught me a lot and made sure his sister stayed on the straight and narrow."
She described him as being very academic, especially in maths and English.
"I had so much respect for my brother. Andrew was 26 years old when he died at Hillsborough. He died four weeks before my 18th birthday. I felt the Christmas of 1988 was when he was starting to take me seriously and we became closer. Up until then, I felt I was always his irritating little sister."
Louise Brookes said Andrew was the apple of her mum's eye. Their dad would watch Andrew’s football team on a Sunday morning.
"His favourite television
programmes were Brookside, Bread and Boys From The Black Stuff. He loved Liverpool - whether that was football or TV programmes."
"I can't honestly ever remember seeing him drunk... Andrew was brought up to respect the police. My parents always told us if we were ever in trouble they were there to help us. When he needed help they literally turned their backs on him."
On the day of Hillsborough, Andrew went with four friends, Mark Richards, Peter Wallace, and two brothers John and Stephen Harris.
"Andrew was really happy on the morning of the match. I remember seeing him put two £20 notes in his pocket... He wanted me to tape Match of the Day for him. I wouldn't as I wanted to watch something else. He went off as happy as he came in. I was the last one of my family to see him alive."
"After he died, the whole dynamics of our family changed. Mum and dad never really recovered. Mum had a heart attack in 1996 and succombed to cancer in 2000. Dad just shut himself away and he never went back to work."
Ms Brookes then cried as she recalled the recent death of her father.
"My dad passed away on 4th March this year after a five and a half year battle with cancer. I only buried my dad 10 days before this inquest began.
"It makes me so angry that both my parents went to their graves before knowing how their son died.
"It is up to me alone to fight for my brother. I am my brother's voice - as much as it irritated him when he was alive.
"I feel cheated. He was my big brother and I miss him more and more with each passing year. I just want to do my brother proud and get him the justice he deserves.
"The whole Brookes family died that day. It has also taken my life away too. I don’t live, I exist… for one reason only – to ensure my brother’s death was not in vain."