Families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster will be given access to secret police and government documents, according to The Guardian.

After a long running campaign for the papers to be released, The Hillsborough Independent Panel will share the documents with bereaved families on September 12th,  23 years after the tragedy.

In a statement released by the panel yesterday, emphasised was the paramount importance of consultation with the grieving families.

“…by making this announcement today it will give bereaved families sufficient time to prepare for disclosure”.

Chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group Margaret Aspinall, who lost her 18-year old son James through the tragedy, explained her delight at the proposed release of the documents.

“It’s Great news” she stated, “September 12th will undoubtedly be an emotional day for all the families.”

An inquiry has been launched by The Cabinet Office concerning a percentage of the documents that were leaked to the BBC earlier in the year.  One of these documents contained a briefing note written by a Senior Yorkshire Police Officer that was given to Prime Minister at the time Margaret Thatcher. The note wrongly blamed a number of drunken Liverpool fans for the disaster. The investigation is on-going.

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