Hillsborough families call for ex-police chief to be stripped of knighthood after damning report
Hillsborough families have called for a former police chief to be stripped of his knighthood after a report into the disaster revealed 12 officers could face prosecution for gross misconduct.
Ninety-seven Liverpool fans were killed in the 1989 FA Cup semi-final when police opened an exit to the ground to reduce the crowds outside and were unable to move the fans away from the tunnel leading to the central stands.
In a report into the police role in the disaster published on Tuesday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed or found cases of misconduct in 92 complaints.
However, the law in force at the time meant that no officer would face disciplinary proceedings as all officers retired before the investigations began.
To talk IndependentCharlotte Hennessy, who was six when her father James died in Hillsborough, said of the report: “It’s bittersweet, it confirms what we’ve always said, so why we need to pursue things like new investigations and why we can’t allow our loved ones to be buried in a lie.
“It’s also frustrating that no one can be held accountable. We knew we were being very realistic about this from the very beginning.”
According to the IOPC report, the 12 police officers would have been required to face charges for gross misconduct in relation to the disaster and its aftermath if they were still on duty. The legislation was changed so that retired civil servants could be subject to disciplinary investigation.
Among those who would have had cases to answer for gross misconduct if they were still in office were South Yorkshire Police’s (SYP) then-chief constable Peter Wright and match commander David Duckenfield, as well as Sir Norman Bettison, later Chief Constable of Merseyside.
Duckenfield, who was the superintendent that day, was cleared by a jury in 2019 of manslaughter by gross negligence. The IOPC report said he was “frozen in crisis” and found he had a case to answer for gross misconduct over 10 allegations, including failing to respond and telling FA officials that fans were breaking in.
The report said Mr Wright, who died in 2011, would have had a case to answer for gross misconduct had he still been serving in an effort to minimize blame and shift blame for the disaster from SYP to Liverpool fans.
The families emailed the Confiscation Committee saying they wanted Sir Norman’s knighthood and the Queen’s Police Medal removed. Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne wrote to the Cabinet Office and tabled a motion demanding the same in the early hours.
The IOPC said Sir Norman would have a case to answer over allegations that he deliberately dishonored his involvement in the disaster and misled the public with public statements when applying for the chief constable job in Merseyside.
The retired chief, who also led West Yorkshire Police, was accused of misconduct in a public office as part of the investigation, but the case was dropped in 2018.
Ms Hennessy said: “We believe the alleged fraud brings both of these honors into disrepute.”
The new report reinforces the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report, published in 2012, which concluded that no Liverpool fans were responsible for the disaster and that a lack of police control was the main cause.
He also supported the Goldring Inquests, which determined in 2016 that all those who died were unlawfully killed.
It also revealed that SYP had “fundamentally failed” in its match planning, its response when disaster struck and how it dealt with traumatized fans and families searching for loved ones.
He found evidence of a defensive approach taken by the SYP in subsequent inquiries and investigations, seeking to deflect blame. This included allegations about fans’ behavior that have been repeatedly refuted.
At a press conference with other members of the family, Ms Hennessy said: “No one is going to prison for killing them so we will never get justice and we knew that.”
He added: “We will never know the full extent of South Yorkshire Constabulary’s deception, but there is no hiding, no destroying and no way of covering up that they failed in their duty and then tried to blame the victims.”
The IOPC said its investigation also found that 327 statements from more than 100 police officers had been altered from those previously revealed by the SYP as part of the defense approach it adopted to control evidence presented to the Taylor Inquiry and West Midlands Police (WMP) investigating the disaster.
The report also revealed that two West Midlands officers who led the investigation into the disaster will face a lawsuit for gross misconduct after failing to conduct a rigorous investigation because they were “biased against the powers that be and supporters”.
According to the report, deputy chief constable Mervyn Jones and then detective superintendent Michael Foster were referred to the CPS for their failures, but the threshold for prosecution was found not to have been met.
Commenting on the report, IOPC deputy director-general Kathie Cashell said: “The 97 people unlawfully killed, their families, the survivors of the disaster and everyone else so deeply affected are repeatedly disappointed by the terrible events of that day.
“First the profound indifference shown by South Yorkshire Police in preparing for the match, then the fundamental failure to deal with the disaster that unfolded, and then the force’s concerted efforts to deflect blame onto Liverpool fans, causing great distress to bereaved families and survivors for almost four decades.
“Once again they are disappointed by an inexplicably narrow investigation into the disaster carried out by West Midlands Police, which was a missed opportunity to bring these failings to light much sooner.
“What they have had to endure for over 36 years is a national embarrassment.”
Families also hit out at the South Yorkshire Police Federation’s claim that the report into the disaster was a “waste of taxpayers’ time and money”. The Federation said this was not fair or balanced, saying: “The former police officers, some of whom are very old and some of whom have sadly passed away, have no due process or ability to formally respond to the allegations made in this report.”
Margaret Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James in the FA Cup semi-final, said in response: “It’s going to change things for other people. It’s not going to do anything for the Hillsborough families.”
“We know that, we accept that, we understand that. But what we’re campaigning for is to change things for the good of the nation, and to me that’s what that means.”
he said Independent He said the IOPC’s findings were further evidence that changes to the law were needed. The Public Office (Liability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Act, will force public servants to tell the truth in the wake of disasters. The bill was read for the second time in parliament last month.
