Hillsborough stories: Martin Kenneth Wild

A print worker from Cheshire and a Liverpool FC season ticket holder, Martin Kenneth Wild travelled by car from Stockport with friends, who all survived.

This is the full statement to the inquests from Mr Timothy Suter, solicitor to the inquests:

I make this statement to assist the coroner with background information about Martin Kenneth Wild, who died in the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April 1989, aged 29.

I provide this statement in my capacity as one of the solicitors to the Inquests and state as follows:

On 31 May 2013, I wrote to the family of Martin Wild to inquire whether they wished to provide a background statement about him.

I explained that the statement could set out any personal memories of Martin that they wished to share and details about his family life, hobbies, career and achievements.

To date, I have not received a background statement from Mr Wild's family.

The coroner is anxious to ensure that some personal information about each person who died as a result of the Hillsborough disaster is presented to the jury at the inquests and so has asked me to prepare background statements for those families who are unable to do this themselves.

'Life-long supporter'

I have therefore written this statement to set out background information for the coroner about Martin Wild. I have done so from documents publicly available on the internet and the digitised materials gathered by the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

In a statement from his father, Kenneth Wild, dated 25 April 1989, he said that his son, Martin Wild, was born on 15 July 1959 in Stockport.

He was the eldest of two children. His younger brother was Nigel Wild.

Martin lived with his paternal grandmother, Anne Wild, in New Mills, Cheshire. He attended local schools in New Mills and left full-time education at the age of 15.

He spent most of his working life at the Wardle fabrics factory. He was responsible for washing the print screens.

When he was made redundant from the Wardle factory, he joined the Dorm Press Birchvale in Cheshire as a print worker. This was in early 1989.

Martin did not marry and did not have any children.

He was 5ft 8in tall and medium build with dark wavy hair. Martin was a life-long Liverpool supporter and went to all the home games at Anfield. He rarely travelled to away games.

'Close friend'

His stepmother, Monica Whitley, provided a statement to police dated 25 July 1989. As well as supporting Liverpool, she said that he also went to Belle Vue to watch the speedway.

She identified a blue denim 'Wrangler' jacket that Martin was wearing on the day of the match. It had two lapel badges, for Liverpool FC and Belle Vue speedway.

A friend of Martin's, John Murray, provided a witness statement to the police dated 15 April 1989.

He had known Martin for three years and described him as a close friend. He said that Martin lived with his two grandmothers, whom he knew as Mary and Anne.

John Murray travelled with Martin to Hillsborough by car on 15 April 1989. He was on the terraces with Martin.