Hillsborough Engineer 'Told To Change Statement'

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

A retired structural engineer responsible for the design of parts of the Hillsborough stadium has claimed his former boss made him change a statement about the disaster.

John Strange criticised his employer at the inquests into the deaths of 96 spectators, saying that if you challenged him he would "make life very difficult for you".

Mr Strange told jurors that, before the disaster in 1989, he tried to raise concerns about the way crowd capacity was calculated at the Leppings Lane end where the fans lost their lives.

The witness worked for a firm called Eastwood and Partners, run by Dr Wilfred Eastwood.

Mr Strange said Dr Eastwood had overruled him when he pointed out the formal capacity on the safety certificate was too high.

Mr Strange said his concerns had been overruled by his boss

Inquest lawyer Jon Hough asked him: "Did you argue your position with him?"

Mr Strange replied: "No sir."

He was then asked: "You were at this time an engineer with nearly 20 years of experience?"

"Yes sir," he said.

"Did you not have the confidence to argue your position on a matter as important as this?" Mr Hough asked.

Mr Strange replied: "No. Not with Dr Eastwood."

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The former structural engineer went on to say: "I am just one of his employees. I am just a minion and you do not challenge him at all.

"If you did challenge him, he would make life very difficult for you, primarily because he had a financial hold over you and your family.

"If you did challenge him, you could expect retribution."

The employee was asked by Peter Wilcock, a barrister representing 75 families of those who died: "As a decent human being, you should have been racking your brains to say with the benefit of hindsight you did everything you could have to make this ground safe ... would that be right?"

Mr Strange replied: "If certain steps had been taken, we would not be here today."

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The response prompted murmurs among members of the Hillsborough families listening from the public gallery.

Mr Strange said he was a Sheffield Wednesday fan and, although he had been in the crowd at Hillsborough in 1981 when fans were also crushed in an incident at Leppings Lane, he had noticed nothing unusual.

After being shown video footage of fans at the match moving from the terraces and onto the pitch, he said: "Why I don't remember it I have no idea."

The former engineer said he was asked to write a statement for his employer's solicitors after the disaster in 1989 but Dr Eastwood made him change it.

Dr Eastwood, who is now in his 90s, will not be giving evidence to the inquests, which continue.

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