Hillsborough disaster: David Duckenfield and the five others facing charges

David Duckenfield

Promoted to Chief Superintendent, just three weeks before the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, David Duckenfield, was put in overall charge of policing the game, despite having virtually no experience of dealing with such events.

On the afternoon of April 15 1989 he found himself in the police control box at Hillsborough Stadium, keen to ensure that his first match in charge was not marred by hooliganism or violence.

But the mood in the warm Spring sunshine was relaxed, with many supporters delaying their arrival at the ground as they enjoyed the carnival atmosphere.

As kick-off approached, Liverpool fans began gathering in large numbers at the turnstiles outside the Leppings Lane end.

Police officers outside the ground soon became concerned for the safety of the supporters who were being pushed against the gates.

Officers radioed up to the control box three times asking for the gates near the turnstiles to be opened.

Initially frozen by indecision, Mr Duckenfield opted not to delay the kick-off, but eventually ordered that Gate C be opened, allowing 2,000 people to pour into the ground.

When the two sets of players took to the pitch at 2.54pm there was a further surge with the fans streaming through the tunnel into two central pens in the Leppings Lane end.

Supporters were crushed against the metal barriers and the fences surrounding the stand and within minutes scores were dead or dying.

It was Mr Duckenfield decision to open Gate C, which will form the main part of the prosecution's case against him on charges that his actions amounted to manslaughter by gross negligence.

Mr Duckenfield initially denied having opened the gates, claiming instead that the that drunken fans had forced their way into the ground.

The claim later became part of a widespread narrative, suggesting that it was the behaviour of fans, rather than failures by the authorities, that were to blame for the tragedy.

Mr Duckenfield eventually conceded that he did not have a basic knowledge of the layout of the stadium and said he had been "overcome by the enormity of the situation".

At last year's inquests into the deaths of the supporters, Mr Duckenfield apologised unreservedly to the families for his actions on the day and said he would regret what had happened until his dying day.

Having joined South Yorkshire Police as a cadet aged 16, he was sworn in as a warranted police constable on Sept 2 1963.

After receiving three commendations in four years he was promoted to sergeant at the age of 25, moving into the CID and then onto a regional crime squad.

Moving steadily up the ranks, he was promoted to inspector in 1974, chief inspector in 1977 and superintendent in 1983.

He was appointed Chief Superintendent on March 27 1989, three weeks before the disaster.

Mr Duckenfield was suspended from duty on Aug 4 1989 after the interim report into the tragedy by Lord Justice Taylor.

He retired on medical grounds two years later, settling in rural Dorset, with an index linked pension worth a reported £23,000 a year.

In 2000 the families of some of the victims brought a private prosecution against him and his deputy on the day, Superintendent Bernard Murray, but the jury was unable to reach verdicts and he was told he would not be prosecuted again for the same offences.

A worshipful master in the Freemasons, he was a keen golfer who was a regular on the courses around Bournemouth.

But at last year's inquests he admitted having battled with severe bouts of depression as he attempted to come to terms with what had happened.

He also admitted turning to drink and said he had undergone a "Road to Damascus" journey to face up to the truth.

Sir Norman Bettison

A former chief constable of both Merseyside and West Yorkshire Police, Sir Norman was an inspector with the South Yorkshire force at the time of Hillsborough.

It was alleged that in the aftermath of the disaster  he had been part of a "black ops" unit which helped concoct a version of events that blamed drunken Liverpool fans for the tragedy.

He has always denied the allegations, insisting he has nothing to hide about his role in the investigation and last year wrote a book entitled Hillsborough Untold: Aftermath of a Disaster.

In a statement issued last night, Sir Norman expressed disappointment over the decision to charge him adding: "The charge is not in relation to my actions around the time of the disaster but in relation to comments I made years afterwards.

"I will vigorously defend my innocence as I have been doing for nearly five years."

Born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Sir Norman joined his local force as a police constable, aged 19.

Selected as one of the high-flyers of this generation, he was sent to Oxford University, where he gained an MA in philosophy and psychology.

He later took an MBA at Sheffield Polytechnic and also spent time in the United States, studying policing methods with the FBI.

Appointed Chief Constable of the Merseyside Force in 1998, he left the service in 2005 to become the Chief Executive of a private firm that offered police training.

In January 2007 he returned to policing when he was appointed Chief Constable of West Yorkshire.

But in 2012 the Hillsborough Independent Panel report was highly critical of his role and he faced calls to resign.

With pressure mounting he resigned in October 2012, saying the inquiry into his role after Hillsborough tragedy was a “distraction” to the force.

He reportedly received an £83,000 a year pension and still lives in South Yorkshire.

Sir Norman has been charged with four offences of misconduct in public office relating to allegations that he lied about the behaviour of fans on the day.

It is understood the allegations relate to statements he made in which he claimed he had never "besmirched" or blamed Liverpool supporters.

In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Given his role as a senior police officer, we will ask the jury to find that this was misconduct of such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder. "  

Donald Denton

Former chief superintendent Donald Denton was in charge of collecting statements from his colleagues in the aftermath of the disaster.

A senior administrator based at Snig Hill in Sheffield he was required to liaise with the West Midlands force, the outside force that had been tasked with investigating the disaster.

At last year's inquests into the deaths of the 96 fans it was alleged that Mr Denton had led a team of officers who amended statements before they were sent to West Midlands Police.

It is alleged that more than 600 police statements were vetted, with 60 being amended.

Mr Denton told the hearing that the statements were changed to remove evidence such as hearsay and opinion which would not be admissible.

But he has now been charged with perverting the course of justice

A statement from the CPS said: "It is alleged that Donald Denton oversaw the process of amending the statements and in doing so, he did acts that had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice."

Alan Foster

A colleague of Mr Denton, former detective chief inspector Alan Forster allegedly assisted in the the altering of police statements that were given to the inquiry into the disaster.

He is facing charges of perverting the course of justice.

A statement from the CPS said: "We will say that Alan Foster was central to the process of changing the statements and took action to do so."

Graham Mackrell

A qualified accountant, Mr Mackrell had been club secretary at Bournemouth and Luton football clubs, before taking on the same role at Sheffield Wednesday in 1986.

In his role he had overall responsibility for safety matters at the stadium and was responsible for ensuring it met national standards.

It had been alleged that the club scrimped on safety spending at the time, preferring to use grants rather than its own money to make necessary improvements.

During last year's inquests it was revealed that the Leppings Lane end, in which 96 fans were crushed to death, had an official capacity of 10,100.

But evidence was heard to suggest that the figure was "substantially too high".

The hearing was also told how, at a previous match the year before between the same clubs, a number of fans had been crushed.

However, despite the warnings, the club considered the match to have been a success in terms of safety.

Mr Mackrell left his role at Sheffield Wednesday in 1999 and is currently a director of the League Managers' Association.

Mr Mackrell is charged with two offences in relation to the issuing of the safety certificate and one offence in connection with alleged health and safety breaches.

A spokesman for the CPS said: "These offences relate to alleged failures to carry out his duties as required."

Peter Metcalf

As the solicitor acting for South Yorkshire Police during the 1990 Lord Justice Taylor report into the disaster and also the first inquests, Mr Metcalf was involved in the submission of police statements.

An experienced lawyer with the firm Hammond Suddards, he was instructed by Municipal Mutual Insurance to represent the interests of the force.

It is alleged that after receiving what was known as a "Salmon" letter from the public inquiry team, setting out the areas in which the police might be criticised, he used it as a "check list" before altering statements to put officers in a more favourable light.

Mr Metcalf has vehemently denied allegations that he set out to "protect the force at all costs".

A statement from the CPS said: "He reviewed the accounts provided by the officers and made suggestions for alterations, deletions and amendments which we allege were directly relevant to the Salmon letter issued by the Taylor Inquiry and for which there appears to be no justification."