Families bereaved by the Hillsborough disaster have declared they will 'never get justice' after a major investigation concluded that 12 retired police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings – but will avoid them entirely due to their retirement status.
A Long-Awaited Report's Bitter Conclusion
The findings come from a report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and Operation Resolve, the criminal probe into the 1989 tragedy. The investigations began in 2012, but because all the officers in question had retired by that time, no disciplinary action can be taken under the law as it stood.
Charlotte Hennessy, whose father Jimmy was among the 97 people who died as a result of the disaster, gave a stark reaction. 'Nobody’s ever going to go to prison for killing them so we’ll never get justice and we knew that,' she said. Ms Hennessy added that while the full extent of police deception may never be known, 'there is no hiding... that they failed their duties and then they sought to blame the victims.'
The Officers and Allegations Identified
The IOPC report identified 92 complaints about police action where there was a case to answer for misconduct. Among the most senior figures named are:
- Peter Wright, the then-chief constable of South Yorkshire Police, who died in 2011. He was found to have been 'insensitive' and attempted to promote a false narrative.
- David Duckenfield, the match commander on the day. The report said he 'froze in crisis' and would have faced gross misconduct over ten allegations, including falsely claiming fans forced a gate.
- Sir Norman Bettison, later chief constable of Merseyside Police, for alleged dishonesty about his involvement and misleading press statements.
Other officers cited include Bernard Murray, Walter Jackson, and several responsible for planning and duty at the Leppings Lane end. The report also highlighted mounted officer David Scott, who would have faced a case for claiming his horse was burned by a cigarette – an incident the IOPC said did not happen.
'A System That Allowed Officers to Walk Away'
Nicola Brook, a solicitor representing several families, called the outcome a 'bitter injustice'. 'It exposes a system that has allowed officers to simply walk away, retiring without scrutiny, sanction, or consequence,' she stated. While the law has since been changed to close this loophole, she noted this was 'no consolation' for the Hillsborough families.
IOPC deputy director general Kathie Cashell said the victims, families, and survivors had been 'repeatedly let down'. She outlined a sequence of failure: 'First by the deep complacency of South Yorkshire Police... followed by its fundamental failure to grip the disaster... and then through the force’s concerted efforts to deflect the blame onto the Liverpool supporters.'
The report also criticised the subsequent investigation by West Midlands Police, led by officers Mervyn Jones and Michael Foster, as 'inexplicably narrow' and 'biased toward the force'.
Families' Legacy and Continued Anguish
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died, framed the campaign's wider purpose. 'This is going to change things for other people... We know that, we accept that, we understand that,' she said. 'But what we’ve been campaigning for is to change things for the good of the nation.'
The response from the South Yorkshire Police Federation, which called the report a 'significant waste of taxpayers’ money' and unfair to elderly former officers, was met with fury. Charlotte Hennessy retorted: 'Well, our loved ones didn’t get to live to have that privilege... Shame on every single one of you.'
The disaster occurred on 15 April 1989 during an FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium. A fatal crush in the Leppings Lane terraces led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans. The IOPC report reaffirmed that allegations blaming fans were 'wholly refuted'. To date, the only conviction from the extensive probes is former club secretary Graham Mackrell, fined for a health and safety offence.
