article_snippet: Former police chief disaster he made right decisions on day has admitted that Former police chief failure to close a tunnel was the 'direct cause' of the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.
article_snippet: Former police chief went on: 'Do you agree with the following, that people died in a crush in the central pens?'
article_snippet: Former police chief said: 'That if they had not been permitted to flow down the tunnel into those central pens that would not have occurred?'
article_snippet: The barrister continued: 'That closing the tunnel would have prevented that and therefore would have prevented the tragedy.'
article_snippet: Former police chief went on: 'That failure was the direct cause of the deaths of 96 persons in the tragedy.'
article_snippet: Firstly, to prevent congestion building up to dangerous levels at the Leppings Lane turnstiles.
article_snippet: Secondly, the failure to delay the kick-off at any appropriate time and thirdly the 'most serious failure' was that of failing to ensure the closing of the tunnel leading to the central pens.
article_snippet: Mr Beggs continued: 'But you do not accept that officers in front of the pens needed any specific direction in relation to the task of getting injured supporters out of the pens.'