Steven Gerrard: My pain over Hillsborough cousin

Family of Hillsborough's youngest victim tell of their continuing pain

Apr 11 2009 by Luke Traynor

THE family of Hillsborough's youngest victim today told of their continuing pain ahead of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.

Jon-Paul Gilhooley, Steven Gerrard’s cousin, was just 10 and a pupil at a Huyton primary school when he died in the Leppings Lane crush.

His devastated family remained silent about their loss, keeping to themselves their precious memories of a happy and energetic child.

But today relatives described Jon-Paul as a “really loving kid, whose whole family loved him”.

Reds skipper Gerrard was eight at the time of the tragedy and the cousins often played out together.

The Liverpool captain has told how Jon-Paul’s death drove him on to be a football player.

Cousin Donna Ridland, 49, still keeps a bottle of perfume the St Columbus Primary school pupil bought her at a jumble sale when he was nine.

She said: “We always went to our nan’s house and he’d insist on a kiss and cuddle. Of 28 cousins Jon-Paul was the youngest.

“He was really into his sports, swimming and riding his BMX bike. He was a lovely boy and we used to be his babysitters.”

Altar boy Jon-Paul, named after The Pope, went to the semi-final with his uncle.

They had one ticket for the stand and another for the Leppings Lane.

The 10-year-old wanted to go behind the goal to watch his footballing heroes and so a family friend took him on to the terraces.

The friend fell unconscious in the crush and when he came round Jon-Paul was nowhere to be seen.

His dad Ronnie travelled to Sheffield and identified him in the stadium gymnasium.

Cousin Paula Kadiri, 45, said: “When he died the rings Jon-Paul used to wear weren’t with his belongings.

“Later, his mum Jackie had a dream they were in the swimming pool where he had been when his uncle told him he had a ticket for the semi-final.

“She found his rings in the locker.

“Nobody ever got over what happened to Jon-Paul. We all talk about him like he’s still here.

“For Jackie and Ronnie it’s been particularly hard, his mum’s never got over it.”

The family has never watched any TV footage about Hillsborough or read any reports of the disaster.

Mum Jackie did attend the inquests in Sheffield which the family said did help her grief.

The Mayor of Sheffield asked Jon-Paul’s parents to come to Sheffield and attend the stadium but it was too painful for them.

The word Hillsborough and You’ll Never Walk Alone often bring back tears of emotion for the youngster’s loved ones.

Cousin Paula added: “The flowers at his funeral spelt out the message ‘To the world he was a football fan.

‘To us he was our world’.

“That summed it up perfectly.”


http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/2009/04/11/steven-gerrard-my-pain-over-hillsborough-cousin-100252-23362877/