Freedom of Liverpool for Hillsborough victim and Jimmy McGovern

A football fan who earlier this year became the Hillsborough disaster's 97th victim has been nominated to receive the freedom of the city of Liverpool.

Andrew Devine suffered life-changing injuries at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final as 96 other Liverpool fans were fatally crushed and died in July aged 55.

Campaigner Margaret Aspinall said the honour would "delight" his family.

Meanwhile, screenwriter Jimmy McGovern, 72, said he was "overwhelmed" to have been nominated for the same honour.

The two nominations will be discussed at a full Liverpool City Council meeting on 8 December but are expected to be rubber-stamped.

The first 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster were awarded the Freedom of Liverpool in 2016.

They were caught up in a terrace crush at the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium.

Mr Devine's family said a coroner's ruling that he was unlawfully killed confirmed him as the 97th victim.

Mrs Aspinall said: "I am so pleased that he is being recognised by this honour and by the city of Liverpool.

"His family will be delighted that he is being remembered in this way and rightly so.

"But this is what we do in this city."

In 2016, an inquest jury ruled 96 Liverpool fans had been unlawfully killed in the Hillsborough disaster.

Liverpool fan McGovern, who wrote the television drama Hillsborough about the disaster, said: "To be recognised by my home city means more to me than any award.

"To be nominated along with Andrew, and to join the other 96 men, women and children whose lives were unlawfully taken away that day at Hillsborough, on that roll of honour is truly humbling."

Lord Mayor of Liverpool, councillor Mary Rasmussen, said there was "something wonderful and poetic" that both men would be honoured at the same time.

"We all know how much Hillsborough means to Jimmy, not just professionally, but on a human level too, and we all know how much happiness it will bring him to see that his nomination will be forever connected with all those that were unlawfully killed that day," she said.

"I'm sure their families and the survivors, whose story he strove so hard to tell when no-one wanted to listen, will be delighted too.

"There's a huge cast of writers whose careers he has generously mentored and developed, helping to make Liverpool what it is today - a city of story-tellers and film-makers."

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