David Duckenfield talks of 'regret' at Hillsborough Inquests

The police chief at the Hillsborough disaster said it was "one of the biggest regrets of my life" he did not think of the consequences of allowing thousand of fans in to the ground after he ordered exit gates to be opened.

Former chief superintendent David Duckenfield, the match commander at the game, agreed to a request to open the gates to prevent crushing at the turnstiles outside the ground, the inquest in Warrington heard.

But after Gate C was opened on his orders at eight minutes before kick off, an estimated 2,000 fans poured in, heading straight for a tunnel leading directly to the already-packed central pens three and four, behind the goal.

The jury was told as many as an extra 800 fans went in to pen three alone after the gate was opened.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died following a crush on the Leppings Lane terrace of Sheffield's Hillsborough ground as the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest kicked off on April 15 1989.

Mr Duckenfield said he now realised "in hindsight" the "most likely" route fans would take once Gate C was open was to go down the tunnel facing them and in to the central pens.

Christina Lambert QC, counsel for the inquests, said: "You say in hindsight you recognise that's where a number of fans might have gone. Do you think as a match commander the consequences of the decision you made, and in particular thought as to where the fans might go, is something you should have considered?"

Mr Duckenfield replied: "Ma'am, I think it is fair to say that is arguably one of the biggest regrets of my life, that I did not foresee where fans would go when they came in through the gates."

Mr Duckenfield, who has admitted he had "limited" experience of policing football matches compared with other senior officers, added: "If I had been a fully competent, experienced, knowledgeable match commander of the experience of Mr (Brian) Mole or Mr Freeman, I no doubt would have thought about it, but I was not in their position."

Mr Duckenfield, stationed in the police control box with a bank of TV monitors of the ground, said he was "shocked" at the request to open the gates from Superintendent Roger Marshall from outside Leppings Lane after police became "overwhelmed" by the number of fans gathered at the turnstiles.

The witness continued: "Certainly I'm sat there, I don't mind telling you I was shocked and taken aback by it and thinking, 'Where are these people going to go if I open the gates?"'

He said another message then came through on the police radio from Mr Marshall saying: "If we don't open the gates someone's going to get killed."

The witness continued: "That really was a shocking, terrifying moment to feel you had got to that situation."

Another officer in the police box, Mr Bernard Murray, then said to him: "Are you going to open the gates?" the jury heard.

Mr Duckenfield said: "I remember saying to him quite clearly, Mr Murray, if people are going to die I have no option but to open the gates. Open the gates."

He said he was left "no option" and thought fans would feel "relief and comfort" in being released from the crush of the turnstiles on to the concourse.

He added: "Ma'am, it is difficult to envisage in the quiet of the court room but in that moment when I made a decision of that nature it really is, I'm at a loss to describe it, other than to say it is a momentous decision and your mind is such that you don't think upon the next step."

Mr Duckenfield said he did not think before opening the gates about blocking the tunnel off with a line of police officers - as had happened in previous years.

Miss Lambert said: "Did you even consider for a moment the possibility that they might go through the central tunnel?"

"Not at all ma'am," Mr Duckenfield replied.

Mr Duckenfield added: "I think it's fair to say I was overcome by the enormity of the situation and the decision I had to make.

"And as a result of that I was so overcome, probably with the emotion of us having got into that situation, that my mind, for a moment, went blank."

Mr Duckenfield said there was "every possibility" that he panicked, and accepted that it was a mistake not to have taken steps to close the tunnel leading to the central pens.

"I think I was so consumed by the events that probably by that time I was overcome and didn't consider delaying the kick-off at that stage.

"The request was made, the crisis was building, the atmosphere and tension was increasing and I shall never forget (another policeman) saying 'It's too late, the players are on the pitch'."

After viewing CCTV footage of fans on a concourse behind the Leppings Lane terrace, having passed through Gate C, Mr Duckenfield went on: "I have a view from what I have seen that quite a few of the fans were apparently standing around, waiting for friends or wondering where to go or what to do."

The jury has heard that the exit gate remained open for five minutes, allowing fans to flow into the ground.

Miss Lambert asked Mr Duckenfield: "At any stage during those five minutes did it occur to you to wonder where those fans were going?"

Mr Duckenfield responded: "No ma'am."

Agreeing with Miss Lambert that a match commander of reasonable competence ought to have thought where the fans allowed through the gate might go, the 70-year-old claimed to have been "distracted" by a radio message referring to another gate "going in".

"I wanted resources to be directed to the North Stand," he said. "That is why my thought processes moved from where they (fans) were going to go, to what would happen next."