23rd - October - 2012
POLICE ‘DID TRY TO PIN MP tells of smear BLAME attempts ON FANS’
Inside this week
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by Ian Bolland
A new witness claims that the most senior serving police officer connected to the Hillsborough disaster admitted to him that South Yorkshire Police were trying to blame fans for the disaster, in evidence which was disclosed in Parliament last night Maria Eagle, MP for Garston & Halewood, made the revelations using parliamentary privilege during the House of Commons debate over the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report published last month. She said that John Barry claims he was told by Sir Norman Bettison that South Yorkshire Police were “trying to concoct a story that all the Liverpool fans were drunk” and that they were trying to break down the gate. Bettison, who was at Hillsborough in an off-duty capacity during the disaster, is currently the head of the West Yorkshire force though he has recently announced his retirement, planned for next year. Eagle also claimed that she had seen a statement from a survivor after they were pressured by West Midlands Police into changing their account of the events in 1989. Ms Eagle’s was one of dozens of statements from MPs during the historic five-and-a-half-hour debate on the findings of the report which disclosed an inadequate emergency response to the disaster which killed 96 Liverpool fans, and a police cover-up and campaign to
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FAST TRACK: Home secretary Theresa May announces new legislation in the House of Commons © BBC smear supporters in its aftermath. Stephen Mosley, MP for Chester, who condemned the alteration of statements and “bullying” by West Midlands Police, told the harrowing story of Kevin Williams, whose mother Anne has campaigned for several years for a fresh inquest into the death of her son. He said: “The truth about Kevin Williams has never been in doubt. “The Attorney General must deliver on his promise. The previous inquests are known to be false and must be quashed by law. After 23 years the
truth has finally been revealed, and now it’s time for justice.” The Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced that ‘fast-track’ legislation to provide the power to force retired officers to give evidence to any inquiry would be considered. She also described the panel’s findings as “shocking and disturbing” and led the tributes to the families of the victims. She said: “Their persistence and indomitability has been an inspiration and I offer them the commitment the government will do everything in its power to
move them from truth to justice” The Home Secretary also told the House of Commons that the Bishop of Liverpool, Right Reverend James Jones, will remain an advisor on issues involving Hillsborough. Labour’s Keith Vaz, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee said that 304 of 1444 officers’ names received by the Independent Police Complaints Commission are still serving with the South Yorkshire force. It has also led to the Attorney General announcing he
will apply to the High Court for inquest of ‘accidental death’. Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that prosecutions could be made, and that serving police officers who were at Hillsborough in 1989 will be investigated. MPs criticised senior South Yorkshire Police officers on the day, the amending of police statements in the aftermath, and The Sun newspaper for its coverage of the disaster. Continued on page 2
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