The police commander on duty during the Hillsborough stadium disaster was found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter over the deaths of 95 Liverpool football fans in 1989.

The disaster, which took the lives of 96 men, women and children and is considered the worst in UK football history, happened after overcrowding at an FA Cup semi-final match.

David Duckenfield, the 75-year-old former South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent, was found not guilty for the charges after a six-week trial.

Barry Devonside, the father of a victim, told the BBC after the verdict: "I'm shocked and stunned by the verdict of the jury."

"We, the families, have fought for 30 years valiantly."

The incident was originally blamed on Liverpool fans, but survivors and relatives rejected this theory and fought for years with their justice campaign.

An independent inquiry eventually discredited the theory that fans contributed to the disaster. And a coroner's inquest found in 2016 that the victims were unlawfully killed, after hearing two years of evidence.

The inquest's jury concluded that policing decisions "caused or contributed" to the deaths, and amounted to "gross negligence".

Sue Hemming, CPS Director of Legal Services, said: "The disaster at Hillsborough 30 years ago has caused unimaginable suffering to the families of those who sadly lost their lives and to everybody affected by the tragic events of that day. 

"They were let down with the most catastrophic consequences imaginable. I know how important these proceedings have been to everyone, even though they came far too late."

It was the second trail for Duckenfield – at his original trial, earlier this year, the jury failed to agree a verdict.

There were gasps in court as the seven women and three men on the jury returned the verdict, following 13 hours and 43 minutes of discussions.