THE family of the 96th and final Hillsborough victim stayed by his bedside every day for nearly four years before his life support was removed, jurors have heard.

Tony Bland, of Keighley, was among the Liverpool fans in the central pens of the Leppings Lane terrace when crushing took place at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.

He was unconscious and showing no signs of life when he was carried on to the pitch, but was rushed to hospital by St John Ambulance after an off-duty doctor and a policeman managed to revive his heartbeat.

The inquests into Britain's worst sporting disaster have been told he never regained consciousness.

Following treatment at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital and Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Mr Bland was transferred to Airedale Hospital in his home town on May 12, 1989.

Giving evidence today, his treating clinician Dr James Howe said Mr Bland was in a vegetative state on arrival.

His eyes were open and he had sleeping and waking cycles, but could not make eye contact and had no awareness of his surroundings.

Notwithstanding the high level of care he received from Dr Howe, his medical team and a wide range of specialists, together with the help of his family, he developed a number of infections.

Dr Howe said his patient remained unconscious and unresponsive throughout his time at Airedale.

Christina Lambert QC, counsel for the inquests, asked him: "Is this right, a difficult decision was made jointly by the family and the treating clinical team, that life prolonging treatment, including artificial nutrition and hydration, should be withdrawn?"

He replied: "That was our feeling, yes."

The jury was told the hospital trust made an application to the courts in 1992 and it was finally granted in the House of Lords after the case was previously heard in the family court and the Court of Appeal.

Mr Bland, who was 18 at the time of the disaster, died on March 2 1993 at the age of 22.

Peter Wilcock QC, representing the Bland family, said his clients wished to make clear their appreciation for all the skill and care that Dr Howe and his team had devoted to Tony.

Dr Howe confirmed that Mr Bland's parents, Allan and Barbara, and sister Angela, did "everything they possibly could to help Tony".

Mr Wilcock said: "The family regularly visited him, sitting by his bedside, stroking him and playing him tapes of his favourite music?"

Dr Howe replied: "That is correct. Somebody was with him every single day of the time that he was with us at Airedale."

Mr Wilcock asked: "Would it be correct that from the beginning you spoke to Mr and Mrs Bland about what the outcome for Tony might be?"

The witness replied: "Yes, at the beginning. I told them what we were going to do and what we hoped might happen because some patients with brain injury still recover from the vegetative state, but as time passed it became clear that there were not going to be any improvements."

He said that he told the family there were no known cases of good recovery from a persistent vegetative state after one year.

Mr Wilcock asked the doctor when he first realised the courts would have to be involved in the process.

Dr Howe, giving evidence via videolink from Australia, said: "Well, it first became clear when I contacted Mr (Stefan) Popper (the then Sheffield coroner) and outlined to him what we planned and he wrote a letter pointing out that, as the law stood in England and Wales, I was risking the charge of murder."

He said the Bland family initially had "great difficulty" understanding the application to withdraw treatment before they later supported him as Mr Bland's condition deteriorated.

Dr Howe said the family "could not contemplate further involvement with authority" following the tragedy and found the resulting court process "quite traumatic".

He said that he and the family remained in contact with each other.

The hearing continues.