Hillsborough disaster: New report finds hundreds of statements changed as police tried to 'deflect blame'
A new report into Britain’s worst sporting disaster has found 327 statements from police were changed to deflect blame for the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans at Hillsborough.
Police watchdog the IOPC says statements were changed as part of a defensive approach by South Yorkshire Police, including making allegations about the behaviour of supporters, which have been repeatedly debunked.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct concludes that 12 officers - 10 from South Yorkshire - would have faced charges of gross misconduct for their actions. But legislation in place at the time did not require police to have a duty of candour.
97 Liverpool fans suffered fatal injuries in a crush at a FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.
The IOPC found:
* Peter Wright, the SYP chief constable at the time, would have had a case to answer for gross misconduct, had he still been serving, for attempting to minimise culpability and deflect blame away from SYP and towards Liverpool supporters.
* Nine other SYP officers would have had a case to answer for gross misconduct, if still serving, for their role in preparing for and policing the match, their response to the disaster as it unfolded or their part in the defensive response and attempts to deflect the blame.
* 327 statements from officers were found to have been amended to control evidence submitted to the Taylor Inquiry and West Yorkshire Police, which was brought in to investigate SYP.
IOPC deputy director general Kathie Cashell said 97 people were unlawfully killed and their families, survivors and “all those so deeply affected” had been repeatedly let down “before, during and after the horrific events of that day.”
She added: “First by the deep complacency of South Yorkshire Police in its preparation for the match, followed by its fundamental failure to grip the disaster as it unfolded, and then through the force’s concerted efforts to deflect the blame onto the Liverpool supporters, which caused enormous distress to bereaved families and survivors for nearly four decades.”
The report of the IOPC and Operation Resolve Investigations - a criminal inquiry focused on the day of the disaster - “reinforces, and builds upon” the Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP) Report published in 2012.
Both investigations supported the Goldring Inquests - the longest in English legal history - which determined in 2016 that all those who died were unlawfully killed.
Criminal trials have resulted in no convictions for the disaster itself, with the most significant case collapsing in 2021 when a judge ruled there was no case to answer.
Ms Cashell praised the tireless campaigning of families and survivors for the Public Office Accountability Bill - dubbed the Hillsborough Law - which will introduce a legal duty of candour on all public officials.
She added: “I hope this report serves as a timely reminder of what happens when organisations focus on protecting their reputation rather than admitting their mistakes and acting to put things right.
“If a legal duty of candour had existed in 1989, it could have helped ensure that all relevant evidence was shared fully and promptly. The families of those who were unlawfully killed would have experienced a far less traumatic fight for answers about what happened to their loved ones.
Following the publication of the IOPC and Operation Resolve's report into the Hillsborough disaster, SYP chief constable Lauren Poultney said: "There is nothing I can say today which can take away the years of pain and hurt caused by the force I now lead.
“On behalf of South Yorkshire Police, I fully accept the IOPC report which highlights a litany of failures and am so deeply sorry for the pain and heartache caused.
"The report is clear in that people attended a football match in Sheffield and therefore, they were in our care. The force failed them and also failed their loved ones in the days, months and years after. This will always be a point of deep regret and shame for South Yorkshire Police.
"Those who lost their lives will always be in my thoughts."
The report can be found at policeconduct.gov.uk/hillsborough