A Hillsborough victim appeared to start breathing as he was treated on the pitch, the inquests into the 96 deaths heard.

The court heard evidence about Jimmy Hennessy, 29 and friend James Delaney, 19, who had travelled to the semi-final together from Ellesmere Port.

Carl Maltravers, who was on duty at the match as a police constable, described seeing Jimmy lying on the pitch on his own at some point after 3.15pm.

In notes written a few hours after the disaster, on April 15, 1989, Mr Maltravers recorded that the plasterer, whose daughter Charlotte, now of Connah’s Quay, was six when he died, was lying on his side when he saw him and his arm appeared to be twitching.

Charlotte Hennessy has been campaigning for other victims' families in a battle for answers and justice
Charlotte Hennessy has been campaigning for other victims' families in a battle for answers and justice

He wrote: “I slapped his face and I thought his eyes opened.

“Just then, a man from the St John’s came up and said did I need help and we needed to get into him and I thumped his chest.

“I gave four pushes on his ribs to one blow into his lungs that the St John’s man gave him.”

He said nothing happened at first but then he vomited.

“We turned the man on to his side and were shouting ‘come on, come on’ and I thought he started breathing. I thought we had a chance.”

Charlotte Hennessy with father James, who died in the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster
Charlotte Hennessy with father James, who died in the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster

But Mr Maltravers said he felt for a pulse and could not find one so continued CPR.

When a fireman walked past with oxygen he tried to get some or see if there was any more, but didn’t.

Asked if he thought there was enough oxygen available on the pitch, Mr Maltravers said: “I don’t think there was enough anything on the pitch at the time.”

The court heard he placed Jimmy on a stretcher and carried him to an area outside the gymnasium, where he checked him for signs of life again.

He said: “Then a man who I took to be a doctor came up and knelt down next to him and he looked at his eyes and said ‘eyes fully dilated, he’s dead’.”

The court heard Jimmy was taken into the gymnasium where he was confirmed dead by a doctor.

The jury was told Jimmy and friend James had travelled to the Sheffield Wednesday ground on a coach with another friend, Brian Bickerstaff.

James Delaney died at Hillsborough
James Delaney died at Hillsborough

Mr Bickerstaff said they went together to get something to eat and drink and then went to the turnstiles together, but became separated in the crowd.

Footage showed James and Jimmy in pen three of the Leppings Lane terrace, but the court heard there was no witness evidence of their experiences in the pens and no evidence about how they were carried onto the pitch.

Vauxhall worker James was shown on video lying on the pitch outside pen three at 3.27pm.

He was shown being carried to the Spion Kop end on an advertising hoarding by spectators, police officers and apprentice footballers from Sheffield Wednesday.

He said: “Once we got there we put it down on the floor but there didn’t appear to be anyone there to help.

“The man had stopped breathing and had vomit all around his mouth and it was obvious he needed immediate attention.

“So I started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him and cardiac massage.

“I carried on doing this for a couple of minutes but it was clear he wasn’t responding. I checked but there was no pulse or any breathing.”

He said a man in a dark suit then told him he would take over.

The court also heard from Gary Rogers, who was shown helping to carry the stretcher and kneeling over James with Mr Elshaw.

He also recalled giving mouth-to-mouth.

Fans spill out of the Leppings Lane end at Hillsborough in 1989
Fans spill out of the Leppings Lane end at Hillsborough in 1989

Special constable Steven Baker also described giving CPR to James but said he stopped after getting no response and carried James off the pitch, meeting deputy chief ambulance officer Alan Hopkins on the way.

“He suggested I take the casualty behind his Range Rover, which he had just parked, place him behind there, take the blanket from the back of the Range Rover and put them onto the fence and around the casualties to give them privacy so no other fans could see what was happening.”

He said he then left to assist others.

Stephen Tucker, a PC, told the court he had found James Delaney on the floor outside the gymnasium. He could not feel a pulse and thought he had died.

He carried him into the gymnasium and remained with him while he was confirmed dead by Dr Matthew Bull at 4.02pm and until he was identified by his dad, James Delaney Senior, at 3.35am the next day.