Hillsborough trial: Men acquitted as judge rules no case to answer

PA Media

Two retired police officers and an ex-solicitor accused of altering police statements after the Hillsborough disaster have been acquitted.

Retired Ch Supt Donald Denton, retired Det Ch Insp Alan Foster and former solicitor Peter Metcalf had denied perverting the course of justice.

They were accused of trying to minimise the blame on South Yorkshire Police in the aftermath of the 1989 disaster.

Mr Justice William Davis ruled they had no case to answer.

He said the statements had been prepared for the public inquiry chaired by Lord Taylor in 1990.

The judge said this was not a statutory inquiry and therefore not considered "a court of law", so it was not a "course of public justice" which could be perverted.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died as a result of the April 1989 stadium crush at the FA Cup semi-final match at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.

The three men had been on trial at the Nightingale Court at the Lowry Theatre in Salford for more than four weeks.

Mr Denton, 83, of Sheffield; Mr Foster, 74, of Harrogate; and Mr Metcalf, 71, of Ilkley, had all denied two counts of perverting the course of justice.

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May 26, 2021 at 09:40PM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-57172900