A right to choose

Allan and Barbara Bland, of Keighley, spent nearly four years of heartache tending their son Tony at his bedside at Airedale General Hospital after he was left in a persistent vegetative state from massive crush injuries he suffered in Britain's worst football disaster.

Devoted Liverpool fan Tony, who was 18 at the time of the tragedy, died following a landmark legal bid by hospital authorities supported by his parents when Law Lords eventually gave permission to stop his feeding when it was clear he could not communicate and his condition would never improve.

In a new book to be published next week consultant neurologist Dr Jim Howe, who treated Tony, calls for an extension of voluntary euthanasia, saying he would be prepared to administer a lethal injection in some circumstances if it was made legal and there were proper safeguards in place.

Today, Allan Bland said he supported Dr Howe's view on voluntary euthanasia providing there were proper checks to prevent others going through the torment suffered by his family.

And he criticised the lack of progress made in changing the law since Tony's death in March 1993.

"Modern medicine has got far ahead but the law has not changed with it," he said.

"That was our whole argument but we were left out on a limb.

"We do think the law should have been addressed. It should have moved on - it would have made our case a lot easier.

"In our case it was a matter of choice, we never considered it euthanasia.

"We certainly wouldn't want to be left like that, he wasn't going to come round and he could have been like that for years.

"It's not a question of right or wrong, it's a choice and we would always choose that ourselves.

"It was the right decision - we have never had any doubts about that whatsoever."

Mr Bland and his family were today due to attend a service at Anfield where the victims of the Hillsborough disaster were being remembered.

Yesterday they laid flowers at Hillsborough and at the memorial to the disaster in Leppings Lane near the ground. It was the first time they had visited the stadium since the tragedy.

In the book Euthanasia: The Heart of the Matter, Dr Howe talks movingly about how he and staff at the Airedale hospital cared for Tony Bland who suffered severe chest injuries in the tragedy.

He goes on to back voluntary euthanasia for some patients, claiming that would be the caring course to take.

Our pilgrimage for son we lost

The family of tragic Hillsborough victim Tony Bland were today joining relatives of the other people who died in the disaster at a service to mark its tenth anniversary.

About 10,000 people were expected at Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club, for the emotionally-charged ceremony which was ending with a verse from the anthem You'll Never Walk Alone.

A total of 96 people died in the tragedy at the FA Cup semi-final at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989. Liverpool fan Tony Bland, of Keighley, suffered severe chest injuries in the crush and was left in a persistent vegetative state.

His name was the last to be added to the disaster toll when he died nearly four years later aged 22 after doctors, backed by his family, were given permission by Law Lords to stop feeding him in a case that made legal history.

His father Allan said today's ceremony would be an emotional occasion for the family, including his wife Barbara and daughter Angela. He said he and his wife had tried to get on with their lives following his death but kept in touch with other people afflicted by the disaster.

"It will be emotional, especially with it being the tenth anniversary, although it's only the sixth for us. For us it went on for another four years," he said.

"We've been to Anfield before at the first one they held when he was one of the injured, and later when he had died.

"It will be a very sad time because it brings it all back but we will be there to pay our respects.

"We've tried to get on with our lives. We have our two grandchildren and are lucky to be involved with them and that helps."

He said he was glad improvements to football grounds had now been carried out which made a repeat of the disaster unlikely.

They also appreciated the tributes paid to the victims at recent football matches, including a minute's silence at Sunday's FA Cup semi-finals.

Chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Trevor Hicks, who is managing director of drinks-dispensing machinery firm England Worthside, in South Street, Keighley, was due to address those gathered at the service today when the whole of Liverpool was expected to observe a one-minute silence at 3.06pm, the time when the referee blew his whistle to stop the match.

Mr Hicks lost two daughters, Sarah, 19, and Victoria, 15, in the disaster and has played a prominent part in the campaign by families for justice and compensation.

The tragedy took its toll and he and has wife divorced 18 months after the disaster and he later was diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"My role will be to remind people why we are there and to make sure nobody ever forgets and lets it happen again," he said.

"It is the tenth anniversary but every year is an anniversary just the same to us, like birthdays and Christmas, which are all particularly difficult for the families.

"We see Anfield as our spiritual home.

"It will be a difficult day and an ordeal in some respects but it is a time when all the families get together.

"It is significant in that we are there in an act of remembrance but it's a sad day in respect of all that might have been that now never will.

"That's one of the hardest things I think, to accept all that talent, all those nice things, all the good things they could have done for the world, were just wasted.

"I lost everything really. It made me realise how vulnerable and insignificant we are. We hang on to life by a thread.

"You realise what is important, it changes how you look on life. I always thought I was pretty clever, pretty switched on.

"But when I was on the pitch with two daughters who needed my help, I didn't have what they needed.

"It doesn't matter who you are, these awful things can happen and suddenly your whole life is transformed.

"People say time heals, but I don't think it does as much as they say. The pain is still there. You just learn to cope better."

Doctor: I cried when Dad said 'That's our Tony'

Consultant neurologist Dr Jim Howe has revealed how he was moved to tears as he made the final preparations to leave Tony Bland to die.

Dr Howe had treated Tony for nearly four years at Airedale General Hospital, following the tragedy at Hillsborough stadium.

A few days after feeding had stopped following the historic Law Lords ruling, it was decided to remove the tubes and other clinical paraphernalia, leaving his room more like a bedroom with flowers and cards.

In a new book published next week, Dr Howe says: "We put the sheets up to his chin and Mr and Mrs Bland, who had been staying in the hospital, came in and said, 'That is the first time he's looked like our Tony since the day he set off for the football match.'

"That was the first time Tony Bland had looked to his father like his own son.

"Mr Bland's was a spontaneous remark and it made me cry."

Tony, who was 18 when he suffered terrible crush injuries, was transferred to Airedale from Sheffield a month later but never showed any signs of consciousness.

After a lengthy legal battle, Airedale NHS Trust, backed by the family, was given permission by the Law Lords for doctors to stop feeding him and he died nine days later in March 1993.

In the book, Euthanasia: The Heart of the Matter, Dr Howe tells of the heartache of the case and calls for a change in the law to allow people with little or no quality of life to be allowed to die. He describes how he first treated Tony and pays tribute to the dignity and dedication shown by his family.

"The nurses treated him as if he were conscious. We got him out in a chair, took him out of his room into the main ward and tried to stimulate him," he said.

"His family visited him every single day until I persuaded them they ought to have a rota so different members of the family came on different days, just to give some of them a break.

"By six months there was no sign of communication and there was no sign of improvement so I talked to his family about the possibility of withdrawing treatment and the family were in favour."

But following a call to the coroner, he found he could not withdraw treatment and was advised if he did, he would face a charge of murder which forced Airedale NHS Trust to take the matter to Court.

He said Tony Bland was so badly injured there was no hope of any kind of recovery and the courts agreed there was no benefit from keeping him alive.

Euthanasia: The Heart of the Matter by Andrew Dunnett, published by Hodder & Stoughton on April 22 priced £6.99.

Police could still face trial over deaths

Two senior police officers on duty the day of the Hillsborough disaster could still go on trial accused of being responsible for the deaths of the 96 fans.

Families of the victims are going ahead with a private prosecution for manslaughter and neglect of duty against former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield and retired Superintendent Bernard Murray.

Earlier this month the pair lost a High Court bid to have the prosecutions blocked. It only partially succeeded when three judges ruled that a charge against Mr Duckenfield of intending to pervert the course of justice should not go ahead.

But the former officers now face committal proceedings before magistrates who will decide whether the case should go to crown court jury. A hearing has been fixed for June.

The High Court also overturned a decision by South Yorkshire Police Authority to withdraw financial support for the pair's defence. Judges ruled the authority was entitled to provide funds to fight the case - but the authority still has to make a final decision on whether it will.

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