THE family of the last of the 96 Hillsborough victims have said they are "hugely disappointed" his case will not form part of the manslaughter charges brought by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Tony Bland, of Keighley, was 18 when he suffered severe brain damage in the crush.

He was 22 when he died at Airedale Hospital after a groundbreaking Law Lords ruling, allowing his feeding tube to be removed so he could die with dignity.

His parents, Allan and Barbara Bland, were in court in April last year when an inquest jury found that their son had been unlawfully killed.

The CPS intends to prosecute match commander David Duckenfield on 95 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence but said it was unable to include a charge in relation to Tony Bland as he died almost four years later.

The law as it applied then meant no-one could be guilty if the death occurred more than a year and a day later than the date when the injuries were caused.

A statement released by Allan, Barbara, and Angela Bland read: "Whilst we are hugely disappointed with the exclusion of Tony from the manslaughter charge against David Duckenfield by the CPS, our relief for the families of the other 95 men, women, and children outweigh our personal frustrations.

"Due to a lengthy process to allow Tony to die with dignity, Tony's time of death was four years after the Hillsborough disaster, although we lost him on 15th April 1989. 

"The law at the time states that if a person dies more than one year and one day after the injuries that caused the death, the person allegedly responsible for those injuries cannot be charged with their manslaughter.

"Justice has been achieved following the inquests, when the jury returned the verdict of all 96 victims being unlawfully killed at Hillsborough, and nothing will ever change that. We will continue to support the other families on the journey for accountability, despite Tony being excluded from the prosecution of David Duckenfield.

"We wish to thank everyone who has taken time to express their support, particularly through social media. 

"Wednesday's CPS decisions have been a long time coming, and made all the more possible due to the tireless work of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, a group we are proud to be associated with. 

"We ask you to keep Tony in your thoughts as we move on through the next process for accountability."