Final Hillsborough pen portrait - Brian Matthews, who was the 'Simon Cowell of his day'

The final pen portrait was about Brian Matthews, aged 38, from Liverpool - given by his sisters.

Younger sibling Debbie said: "Brian was the first born not only to our parents Dora and Albert Matthews, but also into our mother’s entire family.

"In the early 60s, Brian was chosen as altar boy as he and our family were held in high regard by the priest of our parish church, where he served for many years.'

The court heard he was being lined up to apply for Oxford or Cambridge.

"It was solely due to financial circumstances and being from a working class family and certainly not aptitude which prevented Brian from attending either of these universities."

After starting work, he moved to Clitheroe in Lancashire where he became somewhat of a personality in the town due to his charismatic personality.

"His celebrity status continued as he was a staunch sponsor of the St Helens Show which has discovered several west end and TV stars. He was the Simon Cowell of his day, being one of the main judges of the competition.

After his death, the Brian Matthews memorial trophy was established in his honour."

He was chairman of the local Help the Aged, supported the RNLI and would collect toys for deprived local children and dress up as Santa Claus a children’s parties.

"Brian, or Brains as he was affectionately known, had many talents. He had the ability to converse with anybody from any walk of life.

"Throughout his life, Brian never ceased to study and better himself."

Brian's other sisters, Brenda and Dianne, added their own words: "It wasn’t all work and no play. He was a wonderful husband to Margi who he adored, but he remained very family orientated. Christmas was his favourite time of year when we would all be together.

"He loved to take holidays around Wales with our man and aunts as our mother was afraid to fly, and foreign holidays with the rest of us - Barcelona being his favourite city for its vibrant diversity. but he loved beach holidays.

''He was often mistaken for one of the location with his hand some Mediterranean looks and his fluency in Spanish."

She then remembered how "Every Sunday evening in the late 60s, he would bar us from the living room where he set up his recording studio to tape the top 20 from the radiogram onto his reel-to reel tape recorder which we still have to this present day.

"He was larger than life itself and his winning smile would literally light up a room. He left a lasting impression on everyone who met him.

"Content in their careers, it was time for Brian and Margi to start a family as they both had so much to offer a child. Sadly, Brian was cruelly robbed before this happened.

"Brian always strived to do his infinite best and instilled that ethic in all of us. He was a man of great integrity who should have been safe when he went to that match on that fateful day. He was not safe.

"The reputation of fans was besmirched and we as a family have defended Brian’s good character for the last 25 years.

"We are eternally grateful to the anonymous people who worked on our brother and for the valiant efforts displayed by the fans. For somebody who contributed so much to society the thought that our brother suffered such an ignominious death is repugnant. And to add insult to injury, that the fans were described in broadsheets as bestial is odious."

"Our parents never ever got over the loss of Brian. They were truly broken. It breaks our hearts to think that they both have gone to their graves with their well-brought-up, impeccably mannered, articulately son being called a beast.

"It may be that you are sitting here thinking to yourself that this person sounds too good to be true, almost perfect. Well, he was to us.

Not perfect, but almost. He was the special one. He was our big brother, our mentor, our inspiration. He will always be our inspiration."