The Hillsborough inquests commenced on March 31, 2014 and are the subject of reporting restrictions that have been imposed by the Attorney General's office. Liverpool Football Club is respectful of these restrictions and will therefore only be making available updates from other media channels for the duration of the inquest.

The report below - and the witness testimony contained within it - does not necessarily reflect the views of Liverpool FC. Please be aware that the reports on these pages will contain evidence about the day of the disaster which may be distressing.

To view archive reports from each day of the inquest hearings, click here.

Courtesy of the BBC - July 29

A Hillsborough survivor whose brother died with his girlfriend said being blamed for their deaths was "almost as bad" as the bereavement.

Stephanie Conning was giving evidence about the deaths of her 25-year-old brother Rick Jones, and Tracey Cox, 23.

The inquests jury heard the three got into the ground on 15 April 1989 when an exit gate opened on police orders.

Mrs Conning said she believed fans have been blamed for causing the terrace crush in which 96 were fatally injured.

She said: "Something that I have found very difficult over the [last] 26 years, that's been almost as bad as the bereavement, is about the people that went through Gate C... we have often been blamed for causing the deaths."

The disaster happened in Sheffield at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

Mrs Conning, who was 18 at the time, said they had "no choice" but to do so as they were "getting crushed" outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium.

The gate led to a concourse, from where many fans headed down a tunnel leading to terrace enclosures.

More than 2,000 Liverpool fans went through the gate in about five minutes, the inquests have been told.

Ch Supt David Duckenfield, the police match commander, has admitted at the inquests that his failure to order officers to close the tunnel "was the direct cause" of the 96 deaths.

Mrs Conning, Mr Jones and Ms Cox went through the exit gate at 14:53 BST, the jury heard.

By 14:56 they were seen on footage among the crowd in pen three.

The jury heard that "very quickly" after entering the enclosure they were "shoved" by a surge.

Mrs Conning said it "threw" her forward and down the terraces and she stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. Ms Cox fell over and lost her shoe.

Liverpool fans around Ms Cox helped her back up and returned her shoe, but Mrs Conning said that "within seconds" another surge pushed her further forward.

She told the jury that after the second surge she was facing the back of the pen and looked for her brother unsuccessfully.

She said: "I wanted my big brother to help me. I was scared."

Mrs Conning never saw her brother or Ms Cox alive again. She escaped from the terraces through a gate in the fencing at the front of the terrace, but does not know how she got there.

Mrs Conning thanked Liverpool fans for their help that day.

The inquests, sitting in Warrington, Cheshire, are due to resume on Thursday.