Hillsborough inquests: Lack of fence cutter 'slowed crush rescue'

David Rimmer, 38, from Ormskirk, was described as a "lovely family man"

A Hillsborough disaster casualty could have been rescued much sooner had the "necessary equipment" to cut fences been available, a jury has been told.

Ex-Sgt William McCall said the barrier separating the terraces and pitch was "well made" and "difficult" to remove.

The new inquests into the 1989 tragedy have focussed on the death of David Rimmer of Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

One of the 38-year-old's friends described being "controlled" by the surging Leppings Lane terrace crowd.

Mr Rimmer was one of 96 fans fatally injured in the crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989.

In a statement written by sales manager Mr Rimmer's wife Linda Kirby, read by his children Paul and Kate, he was described as a "lovely family man who adored his children and wife".

Paul and Kate were aged nine and seven respectively at the time of the disaster.

'Lost contact'

The inquests heard Mr Rimmer travelled to Sheffield with Geoff Bridson and arrived outside the ground at about 14:30 BST - 30 minutes before kick-off.

They were inside pen four, an enclosure on the Leppings Lane terraces, 10 minutes later.

Mr Bridson said the last time he saw his friend alive was when there was a crowd surge.

He said: "There was a sort of movement forward and I was moved to the left and Dave and other members of the party went in different directions. I think he went forward slightly.

"We lost contact with each other then and I did not see him again."

Mr Bridson estimated that they lost contact between 14:45 and 14:50. He said the crowd pressure was initially "uncomfortable" before it "became a lot worse".

Ninety-six fans died following crushing at the Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough on 15 April 1989

The jury was shown footage of fans attempting to lift Mr Rimmer, who appeared to be unconscious, out of the enclosure and over the fence at 15:11.

The inquests heard former PCs Andrew West and Andrew Justice went into pen four and battled in vain to revive Mr Rimmer on the terraces.

Asked about Mr Rimmer's appearance, Mr Justice said: "It didn't look natural, it was not a natural colour."

He added that he "ran out breath" while giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and that Sgt William McCall took over.

'Tore fence open'

Part of Mr Justice's original 1989 statement was read to the court, in which he recalled how fans and police tried to tear down the fence.

It read: "Liverpool fans screaming about fence. We then started pulling at it with bare hands. Bobbies on other side started kicking at it.

"Welds started to break. Tore fence open, pass this man out. See ambulance man on the pitch."

Also remembering the effort to break the fence down, Mr McCall said: "It was very, very difficult for them at that time. It was very well made, that fencing.

"In the situation that they were in, they did keep going until they managed to pull the fencing away, to find a hole big enough to get people through."

Footage timed at 15:18 showed police officers on the other side of the fence, carrying Mr Rimmer away from the pen.

Rajiv Menon QC, a barrister representing Mr Rimmer's family, asked Mr McCall: "Obviously, if there had been the necessary equipment present to tear that fence down, David could have been removed from that pen very much earlier, couldn't he?"

He replied: "Yes, I think that's fair enough."

Other officers tried to resuscitate Mr Rimmer on the pitch. The inquests heard he was then carried on a makeshift stretcher to the stadium's gymnasium.

The inquests, sitting in Warrington, Cheshire, continue.

Who were the 96 victims?

BBC News: Profiles of all those who died