Ian Whelan's dad: "My son was not a football hooligan"

Wilf Whelan from Warrington read a statement about his son Ian, 19 saying "My family feel we have had to defend his good name for the last 25 years."

"He was not a football hooligan. He even attended mass of his own free will every Sunday."

Ian's friends called him Ronnie after his liverpool football hero.

"They would call on the phone and ask for Ronnie. At the beginning it would really confuse his mum and I."

"Ian played football for both school teams. He was constantly playing in the back garden while commentating to himself."

"Ian was a son that any family would have been proud of - a young man just beginning to get on his feet in life."

The jury heard how he used to draw caricatures of football players, sending them to Anfield for players to sign. Most did.

Mr Whelan talked about his son's good nature - surprising his girlfriend on the morning of the disaster.

"On the fateful morning that he left to go to Sheffield for the match, he unexpectedly called at Joanne's house and left two red roses on her doorstep before continuing on his journey."

"He didn't knock on her door because he knew that she was getting ready for work and he didn't want to make her late, so he just left them outside as a surprise for her. "