Hillsborough: Police Chief Makes Angry Denials

A former police officer has angrily denied allegations he told other police officers to fabricate evidence in order to blame "drunken and ticketless" Liverpool fans for causing the Hillsborough disaster.

Terry Wain, a Chief Superintendent in South Yorkshire Police at the time of the tragedy, said he was asked to gather evidence from on-duty officers at the stadium in the weeks that followed.

Giving evidence to the new inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans, Mr Wain said he had nothing to do with planning the policing of the football match – but had helped counsel officers who had been involved on the day.

He told the inquest that many of the officers on duty had been "terribly traumatised".

The jury heard how officers were asked to make statements on blank paper rather than the usual police forms. Mr Wain denied he knew junior officers were told not to make notes in their pocket notebooks.

The former policeman said he thought any statements given by officers would be confidential and had instructed officers to "tell it how it is".

Mr Wain said it was his view that a police officer's notebook could be "checked and could never be changed".

The inquest heard that South Yorkshire Police lawyers began "vetting" statements as they came in.

Jonathan Hough, barrister on behalf of the Coroner, asked: "Lawyers are at that stage suggesting that they will be reading through every statement, okaying some, and suggesting alterations, possibly to others?

"At this point, did you have any concern about the proposed process of these officers' accounts being vetted and possibly amended?"

Mr Wain said: "It didn't cause me any concern, to be quite honest. It was coming from legal advice, solicitors. This was the legal advice offered.

"Nobody had any idea about a public inquiry and we were very much dependent upon the lawyers. This was the advice that we were given."

The inquest heard that a previous witness, former Inspector Clive Davis, had claimed Mr Wain held a meeting in the days after the tragedy where he had told officers "his team" would try to find evidence intended to lay blame on Liverpool fans.

Mr Wain denied being at the meeting.

Mr Hough asked: "Mr Davis has given an account to the jury of you opening that meeting by declaring the intention to place blame for the disaster on drunken and ticketless Liverpool supporters. Did you say any such thing?"

"No I did not," said Mr Wain.

"Mr Davis gave an account of you saying that your team now would go out and get the evidence to support that case, including taking photographs of beer cans on the M62," asked Mr Hough.

"No I did not," Mr Wain replied.

Sitting in the witness box, a visibly agitated Mr Wain added: "I feel angry - 32 years' unblemished character and an idiot like that comes and destroys it."

Coroner Lord Justice Goldring interrupted, saying: "I think you have made that point."

The inquest continues.