would invite anyone to do the same as me and read the document and the papers online.'
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Reacting to his statement Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, who lost her son James, 18, in the tragedy, said: 'Quite frankly I am quite angry about it and I think he should resign.
'He should do the decent thing and resign, no matter what he is saying in his statement today.
'He is still saying the fans made the job more difficult for the police. He ought to be ashamed of himself. Do the decent thing Mr Bettison -resign.'
Former Home Secretary Jack Straw is one of many voices who says Sir Norman, who was also chief constable of Merseyside Police, should consider his position.
'I understand the concerns of the families. I think it is for his employers and for Sir Norman, between them,' he said.
'He's bound to be considering [his position] – it's inevitable. He can read the newspapers, and I would have hoped he would have been considering it for some time. I can see the point that the families are making. On the other hand, my dealings personally with Sir Norman suggested that he was a fine police officer.'
Prosecuting the police who cooked up 'the biggest cover up in history' at Hillsborough is 'absolutely essential', a former chief constable has said.
Richard Wells, who took over at South Yorkshire Police a year after the 1989 tragedy that killed 96, admitted the scale of the conspiracy to pin the blame on the innocent dead and injured had left him 'disappointed and angry'.
Mr Wells also slammed forces across Britain for their 'culture of authoritarianism, defensiveness [and] excessive secrecy' at the time, admitting he too 'swallowed, to my great regret now, the prevailing account - that the statements had been looked at for criminal justice purposes and emotional, non-evidential material had been removed'.
A matter of hours after the disaster in April 1989, officers had already started a campaign to smear supporters and fabricate evidence to prevent their failures coming to light.
There was no expression of support for Sir Norman from Downing Street today when David Cameron's official spokesman was questioned by reporters on his position.
The spokesman was asked several times at a daily press briefing in Westminster whether the Prime Minister continued to have 'faith' in Sir Norman as chief constable, but declined to respond directly to the question.
'The Prime Minister made a statement to the House of Commons yesterday setting out his views on this issue, the spokesman replied.
And with prosecutions potentially looming for those involved in the cover up, asked if Mr Cameron would support a criminal investigation into events at Hillsborough the spokesman added: 'It is for the relevant authorities to make decisions based on the evidence.
'There was a report published yesterday and they also published hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence. It is obviously going to take some time to consider that.
'But it is a matter for the police and prosecutors as to whether there is a criminal investigation, just as it is a matter for the IPCC to make a decision on whether or not to look at issues of police conduct.'
Meanwhile, because it is at the centre of the scandal, South Yorkshire Police said it was looking in detail at the material released by the panel and its report and may refer itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
It said it needed to do this before it can make a decision on whether any specific matters should be referred to the police watchdog.
In a statement, the force said: 'South Yorkshire Police is currently reviewing a wide variety of matters raised in the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel with a view to making a referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.'
Football Association chairman David Bernstein has offered 'a full and unreserved apology' to all those affected by the Hillsborough disaster.
The Hillsborough Independent Panel's report into the events at the FA Cup semi-final 23 years ago revealed a police cover-up had taken place which had intended to shift blame for the disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans, to the victims themselves.
The ground did not have a valid safety certificate at the time of the match. Sheffield Wednesday yesterday apologised and Bernstein today followed suit.
He said in a statement: 'We are deeply sorry this tragedy occurred at a venue the FA selected.
'This fixture was played in the FA's own competition, and on behalf of the Football Association I offer a full and unreserved apology and express sincere condolences to all of the families of those who lost their lives and to everyone connected to the City of Liverpool and Liverpool Football Club.'
Mayor of London Boris Johnson was today forced to apologise for an offensive article he wrote in 2004.
He said he was 'very, very sorry' for comments he made about Liverpool fans involved in the Hillsborough disaster.
His article in the Spectator article was written in the wake of the death of British hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq, but went on to criticise 'drunken' Liverpool fans at Hillsborough.
It read: 'The deaths of more than 50 Liverpool football supporters at Hillsborough in 1989 was undeniably a greater tragedy than the single death, however horrible, of Mr Bigley; but that is no excuse for Liverpool's failure to acknowledge, even to this day, the part played in the disaster by drunken fans at the back of the crowd who mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground that Saturday afternoon.
'The police became a convenient scapegoat, and the Sun newspaper a whipping-boy for daring, albeit in a tasteless fashion, to hint at the wider causes of the incident.'
Today he apologised.
'I'm very, very glad that this report does lay to rest the false allegation that was made at the time about the behaviour of those fans,' he said.
'I'm glad that this independent report has finally nailed the myth that drunken fans were in any way responsible for the deaths of 96 people.
'That was a lie that unfortunately and very, very regrettably got picked up in a leader in the Spectator in 2004, which I was then editing.
'I went to Liverpool to apologise unreservedly for that mistake and I repeat that apology today.
'It was sloppy to repeat the old canard that the Hillsborough tragedy was caused by drunken fans, when the inquiry report found no evidence for this whatever.
'To judge by the huge mail I have received, that mistake caused real offence and hurt. Faced with such anger, any editor would feel obliged to make amends, and that is what I do now.'
Police officers and other officials recognised with an honour following the Hillsborough disaster 23 years ago but implicated in the cover-up should be stripped of their awards, an MP said today.
The SDLP's Mark Durkan (Foyle) said Parliament's Honours Forfeiture Committee should review awards handed to anyone involved in the tragedy which cost of the lives of 96 Liverpool fans.
Speaking outside parliament, Mr Durkan added: 'There was a concerted campaign of cover-up and smear in relation to the Hillsborough disaster and it included police officers and went beyond police
officers.
'It's not for me to start naming people. The knighthoods are the obvious ones that in my view the Forfeiture Committee should be considering.
'In the past it has needed a conviction before the committee has reviewed an honour but that didn't happen with Fred Goodwin (the former boss of Royal Bank of Scotland).
'In light of the anger and shock that there has been about the cover-up in relation to Hillsborough, there is an overwhelming case for the Forfeiture Committee to review these honours.'
A former Conservative MP named as one of the sources behind The Sun’s controversial coverage of the Hillsborough tragedy today said he was 'deeply and sincerely sorry' for the part he played in the scandal.
Sir Irvine Patnick said he had been given 'wholly inaccurate' information by some members of the police and was 'appalled' at the extent of the cover-up surrounding the disaster.
But the former Tory MP for Sheffield Hallam said he 'totally' accepted responsibility for repeating the information, which led to the tabloid newspaper’s notorious front page story headlined The Truth.
In a statement issued through the Conservative Party, Sir Irvine said: 'I would like to put on the record how appalled and shocked I was to discover the extent of the deceit and cover-up surrounding these events.
'It is now clear that the information I received from some police officers at the time was wholly inaccurate, misleading and plain wrong.
'However, I totally accept responsibility for passing such information on without asking further questions.
'So, many years after this tragic event, I am deeply and sincerely sorry for the part I played in adding to the pain and suffering of the victims’ families.'
Sir Irvine, 82, was named by the Hillsborough Independent Panel yesterday as one of the sources who briefed journalists that Liverpool fans were 'drunk and aggressive' and forced entry into the football ground, contributing to the deadly crush.
The panel found the origin of The Sun’s story, along with negative coverage in other newspapers, was a Sheffield-based news agency, which had been briefed by officers from South Yorkshire Police (SYP), a local Police Federation spokesman and Sir Irvine.
Their allegations were reported by White’s News Agency and were based on meetings with police officers and interviews with Sir Irvine and Paul Middup, the secretary of the South Yorkshire Police Federation.
The report states 'Mr Patnick based his comments on a conversation with police officers on the evening of the disaster while the officers were in considerable distress.'
Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, who wrote the headline, apologised yesterday and said he had been 'totally misled'.
After the revelations emerged yesterday a Labour MP wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron calling for the former government whip to be stripped of his knighthood over his 'shameful' role in the aftermath of the disaster.
Backbencher John Mann said: 'The shameful and disgusting behaviour of Sir Irvine Patnick is a significant feature in the Hillsborough independent panel report and his knighthood should be removed immediately.'
Former home secretary Jack Straw accused Margaret Thatcher's government of creating a 'culture of impunity' in the police that was on display in its handling of the Hillsborough disaster.
Angering Conservatives, the Labour MP said the police felt they could 'rule the roost' in the years after the 1984 miners' strike in which they played such a crucial role on behalf of the then prime minister.
Mr Straw expressed regret that a review he ordered in 1997 had failed to 'get to the bottom' of the tragedy or the police cover-up laid bare yesterday by the Hillsborough Independent Panel report.
But he suggested the behaviour of South Yorkshire Police reflected a culture presided over by the Thatcher administration.
'One other reflection I have about this is the state of the police generally in the late 1980s, and the fact that the Thatcher government, because they needed the police to be a partisan force, particularly for the miners' strike and other industrial troubles, created a culture of impunity in the police service,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
'They really were immune from outside influences and they thought they could rule the roost, and that is what we absolutely saw in South Yorkshire.'
Labour also called for a criminal investigation, overseen by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, into the wrongdoing uncovered by the Hillsborough report.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the inquest into the deaths should be reopened as soon as possible and granted full access to all the original and unaltered evidence.
She added: 'The double injustice for the families is in the scale and extent of the cover-up and the denial of truth by people and institutions that exist to provide just that. Clearly the inquest must focus on the terrible loss of life, and will not focus on the subsequent misinformation and altering of evidence.
'That is why we are asking the Home Office to set out a proper separate investigation into the cover-up and what happened in South Yorkshire Police, including looking at criminal charges.'
The staggering disclosures proved deeply distressing to relatives and will increase demands for new inquests into their deaths.
Their persistent argument that some of their loved ones could have been resuscitated had they been properly treated is shockingly vindicated.
Miss Martin told Mrs Williams: ‘I stayed with Kevin. I felt for a pulse at the base of his neck and… there was a slight blip. I picked him up in my arms and he opened his eyes.
‘I’ll never forget the look in that little boy’s eyes. And he just said, “Mum” and carried on looking for a few more seconds.’
The report found police failed to use the code word ‘catastrophe’, which would have triggered the major incident plan.
Chief ambulance officer Albert Page later said there would have been ‘no point in deluging the ground with paramedics’, because they were not trained to work in crowds, the report reveals.
Failures on the day were compounded by a subsequent cover-up in which unspecified senior staff at South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service ensured damning testimonies were kept secret.
The panel investigating the disaster found that out of 101 statements given by ambulance personnel, 49 had been altered, 16 of them containing ‘substantial’ deletions or additions.
One unnamed ambulance worker’s reference to access to the pitch being ‘pitifully inadequate’ was removed.
But, fatefully, coroner Dr Stefan Popper ruled that events after 3.15pm would not be considered on the basis that all the victims were dead within 15 minutes of the match kicking off.
As a result, ambulance crews were not called to give evidence and the question of whether more fans could have been saved was not addressed.
Margaret Aspinall, chairman of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, said the families wanted to have the inquest verdicts of accidental death quashed.
Former cabinet minister Lord Falconer told BBC Breakfast: 'I think it now goes without saying there has got to be a new inquest.
'The evidence of the previous inquest was expressly limited to things that happened before 3.15pm on the day and we now know that 41 people had a potential to survive.
'That has never been investigated by an inquest or by any public inquiry and that now needs to be properly investigated by an inquest.
'Secondly, there needs to be set up a process now where the new documents are looked at and the question of criminal proceedings needs to be looked at.
'The report also made it absolutely clear that the civil actions that were brought by those who had suffered have probably also been settled or resolved on a false basis.'
‘They were a disgrace, they were a mockery and the system should be ashamed of itself,’ said Mrs Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son, James, in the disaster.
The Panel's medical expert Dr Bill Kirkup said the original inquest was wrong to say they could not be saved after 3.15pm, because a re-examination of evidence showed dozens were still breathing after that time but lost their lives in the chaos.
'In total 41 had evidence that they had potential to survive after the period of 3.15,' he said.
'What I can't say is how many of them could, in actuality, have been saved. But what I can say is that, potentially, it was in that order of magnitude.'
Jack Straw, who as home secretary ordered the review by Lord Justice Stuart-Smith in 1997, expressed regret that it was not thorough enough.
The judge identified that some police statements had been altered, but put it down to 'at worst an error of judgment', according to Mr Straw. He also had the “same view as the rest of us” about the conduct of police.
But the Labour MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “With the benefit of hindsight it’s a matter of great regret to me that, although he did it in good faith, it was not as thorough as it could have been.”
He added: 'I regret that I had not spotted this. If I could turn the clock back I would do so and some years of heartache for these families could be saved.'
Mr Straw refused to back calls for the resignation of West Yorkshire Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison over his involvement in the original probe.
While stressing he “understood the concerns of the families”, Mr Straw added: 'My dealings with Sir Norman personally suggest he is a fine police officer.'
The independent panel, led by the Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, also found that police bent on pinning blame for the Hillsborough tragedy on Liverpool fans took blood from the dead, including children, to prove the tragedy was caused by drunk supporters.
Illicit criminal record checks were also carried out in a further attempt to take blame away from the authorities and force it on to the 96 dead and hundreds of others injured that day.
This misinformation led to an infamous Sun front page, headlined The Truth, that falsely reported that fans were drunken, violent and stole from corpses.
Kelvin MacKenzie, who was the editor of The Sun at the time of the Hillsborough tragedy and who wrote the headline, offered his 'profuse apologies to the people of Liverpool for that headline'.
He added: 'It has taken more than two decades, 400,000 documents and a two-year inquiry to discover to my horror that it would have been far more accurate had I written the headline The Lies rather than The Truth.
'I published in good faith and I am sorry that it was so wrong.'
The current editor of The Sun also apologised for his newspaper's role in the Hillsborough tragedy cover-up.
Dominic Mohan said: 'Twenty-three years ago The Sun newspaper made a terrible mistake. We published an inaccurate and offensive story about the events at Hillsborough. We said it was the truth - it wasn't.
'The Hillsborough Independent Panel has now established what really happened that day. It's an appalling story and at the heart of it are the police's attempts to smear Liverpool fans.
'It's a version of events that 23 years ago The Sun went along with and for that we're deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry.
'We've co-operated fully with the Hillsborough Independent Panel and will publish reports of their findings in tomorrow's newspaper. We will also reflect our deep sense of shame.'
The chief constable of South Yorkshire Police, the force at the centre of the scandal, said he was 'profoundly sorry' for his force's actions in the aftermath of the disaster.
David Crompton said he had been 'shocked' by the findings of the report and officers had made 'grave errors'.
He said in a statement: 'In the immediate aftermath senior officers sought to change the record of events. Disgraceful lies were told which blamed the Liverpool fans for the disaster.
'I am profoundly sorry for the way the force failed on 15th April 1989 and I am doubly sorry for the injustice that followed and I apologise to the families of the 96 and Liverpool fans.'
It came as David Cameron issued an apology to the families of Hillsborough victims 'for all they have suffered in the past 23 years'.
The Prime Minister said they had been unable to 'find the truth or find justice for their loved-ones' because of a cover-up.
'On behalf of the Government, and indeed of our country, I am profoundly sorry that this double injustice has been left uncorrected for so long,' he said.
Smears that Liverpool fans had caused the tragedy were also completely untrue, he said.
'Today's report is black and white, Liverpool fans were not to blame for the disaster.'
Incredibly, blood samples were taken from the dead, including children, to try to prove that they were drunk and had caused the disaster.
An attempt was made to 'impugn the reputations of the deceased by carrying out Police National Computer checks on those with a non-zero alcohol level,' Mr Cameron revealed.
Hillsborough Families Support Group member Trevor Hicks, who lost two daughters at Hillsborough, said they would now press for criminal action against those involved in the disaster, adding: 'The truth is out today, justice starts tomorrow.'
Mr Hicks said the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report revealed shocking 'depths of depravity' in the way the police tried to blame the fans after the disaster.
He added that the independent report contains findings that are 'deeply distressing,' confirming that the police had amended 164 statements and removed 116 negative comments about the policing operation that day.
Former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has added his voice to the many welcoming the publication of the truth about the Hillsborough disaster and calling for justices for the families affected.
The Scot, in his first spell as Reds boss, was in charge of the side for the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989 at Sheffield Wednesday's ground when 96 supporters died.
Dalglish was heavily involved in supporting the families in the aftermath of the tragedy and attended numerous funerals - including four in one day.
It ultimately took its toll as he quit Anfield 21 months later with the emotional stress being a significant factor in his decision to walk away from the club.
'Very positive outcome. 23 yrs waiting for the truth next step justice,' Dalglish wrote on Twitter.
David Cameron yesterday evoked the memory of his son Ivan as he spoke of the ‘double injustice’ suffered by the families of the 96 Hillsborough victims – saying it was no longer right to ‘defend the indefensible’.
In a sombre statement, the Prime Minister offered relatives his ‘profound apology’ and admitted they had been ‘right’ to believe there had been a cover-up.
He said: ‘Anyone who has lost a child knows the pain never leaves you.
‘But to read a report years afterwards that says – and I quote – ‘a swifter, more appropriate, better focused and properly equipped response had the potential to save more lives’, can only add to the pain.
‘Not enough people in this country understand what the people of Merseyside have been through. This appalling death toll of so many loved ones lost was compounded by an attempt to blame the victims.’
For most of his statement, MPs sat silently and shook their heads in sorrow.
But as Mr Cameron revealed some of the more shocking findings, many gasped with horror and were unable to contain their emotions.
Mr Cameron said the report was ‘black and white’ in saying that the fans were ‘not the cause of the disaster’ and paid tribute to the ‘incredible strength and dignity’ of the families throughout their long fight for justice.
He said: ‘On behalf of the Government, and indeed of our country, I am profoundly sorry that this double injustice has been left uncorrected for so long.’ He added: ‘The families have long believed that some of the authorities attempted to create a completely unjust account of events that sought to blame the fans for what happened.
‘The families were right. The evidence in today’s report includes briefings to the media and attempts by the police to change the record of events.’
He said there was ‘new evidence’ that the authorities failed, saying ‘there is a trail of new documents which show the extent to which the safety of the crowd at Hillsborough was ‘compromised at every level’.
Labour leader Ed Miliband, in turn, admitted the ‘uncomfortable truth’ that Labour should also have done more during its 13 years in power to help the families. Echoing the Prime Minister’s heartfelt apology, Mr Miliband said: ‘It shames us as a country that it has taken 23 years to get to the truth of what happened at Hillsborough.
‘The Prime Minister was right to offer an unreserved apology, but all governments during this period bear their share of responsibility for the failure to get to the truth, so we on this side also apologise to the families that we didn’t do enough to help.’
Liverpudlian MP Andy Burnham, who set up the independent panel, said: ‘Finally the full horror of Hillsborough has been revealed.
‘A catalogue of negligence, appalling failure and sheer mendacity. A tragedy that should have been prevented, lives that should have been saved.’
Reporting by Kirsty Walker
The independent report condemned the responses of the authorities to the disaster at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
A panel, led by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, has examined 450,000 documents and the families of 96 people killed in the Hillsborough tragedy have begun viewing them.
Police and emergency services made 'strenuous attempts' to deflect the blame for the Hillsborough disaster onto innocent fans, newly published documents about the tragedy revealed.
The disclosures were made by the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which has been overseeing the release of thousands of official documents relating to Britain's deadliest sporting disaster.
'The documents disclosed to and analysed by the panel show that the tragedy should never have happened.
'There were clear operational failures in response to the disaster and in its aftermath their were strenuous attempts to deflect the blame onto the fans.
'The panel's detailed report shows how vulnerable victims, survivors and their families are when transparency and accountability are compromised.
'My colleagues and I were from the start of our work impressed by the dignified determination of the families.'
He added: 'The panel produces this report without any presumption of where it will lead.
'But it does so in the profound hope that greater transparency will bring to the families and to the wider public a greater understanding of the tragedy and its aftermath.
'For it is only with this transparency that the families and survivors, who have behaved with such dignity, can with some sense of truth and justice cherish the memory of their 96 loved ones.'
In its summary the panel said: 'It is evident from analysis of the various investigations that from the outset South Yorkshire Police sought to deflect responsibility for the disaster on to Liverpool fans ... there is no evidence to support this view.'
The documents also reveal the 'extent to which substantive amendments were made' to statements by South Yorkshire Police to remove or alter 'unfavourable' comments about the policing of the match and the unfolding disaster.
The documents show, for the first time, that South Yorkshire Ambulance Service documents were 'subject to the same process', the panel said.
They went on to say the wrongful allegations about the fans' behaviour later printed in some newspapers, particularly The Sun, originated from 'a Sheffield press agency, senior SYP officers, an SYP Police Federation spokesperson and a local MP'.
The panel said the Police Federation, 'supported informally by the SYP Chief Constable', sought to develop and publicise a version of events derived in police officers' allegations of drunkenness, ticketless fans and violence.
'The vast majority of fans on the pitch assisted in rescuing and evaluating the injured and the dead,' the panel said.
The panel said their report raises 'profound concerns about the conduct and appropriateness of the inquests'.
The documents go on to reveal the original pathologists' evidence of a single, unvarying pattern of death was 'unsustainable', the panel said.
The families have always disputed the accidental verdict which followed the inquest into the deaths.
The report found that 116 of the 164 police statements identified for 'substantive amendment' were 'amended to remove or alter comments unfavourable to SYP.'
One police officer said he only accepted the changes because he was suffering from post-traumatic stress and that he considered it an injustice for statements to have been 'doctored' to suit the management of South Yorkshire Police, the report found.
Today's findings brought a huge amount of relief and vindication to the people of Liverpool following a 23-year campaign for justice.
Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram, who was at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster and whose constituency is home to Liverpool FC, said: 'This is a momentous day. On behalf of the people of Liverpool, can I thank the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for their statements of support to the families, supporters and to the people of Liverpool.
'Finally we have the undeniable truth, a truth we know now means many innocent people who could and should have been saved, a truth that unequivocally confirms Liverpool fans were not the cause of the disaster and drink was not a significant factor.
'A truth that both vindicates and validates the 23-year campaign for truth and justice, despite the criticism levelled at us as a self pity city.
'That we were right, there was a deliberate attempt to shift the blame, to instigate a cover up at the very highest level.
'It is not about retribution, it is about responsibility. Today, we have made history but now we must change history.'
The Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson echoed calls for fresh inquests and said those involved in the cover-up should be brought to account.
He said: 'It is absolutely clear for everyone to see that those affected were victims not only of a terrible event, but also of an unforgivable miscarriage of justice.
'They were aided and abetted by some sections of the media, who should now apologise for misleading the nation and smearing the reputation of Liverpool FC fans and the city.
'It is to the credit of families that they have never given up on their quest to find out what happened on that dreadful day.
'Now that we finally have the truth of what happened in 1989, we must make sure the families get the justice they deserve.
'I am calling on the Attorney General to apply to the High Court immediately to quash the original inquest verdicts so that a fresh inquiry can be held.
'Furthermore, those who played a role in the cover up should be brought to account for their deceit and corruption.
'The people of Liverpool will stand shoulder to shoulder with the families as we seek to make sure they get justice they have sought for so long.'
The panel also found that access to Cabinet documents revealed that in an exchange about her Government welcoming the Taylor Report into the tragedy Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher expressed her concern that the 'broad thrust' of the report constituted a 'devastating criticism of the police'.
It came as it was revealed that junior officers present at the Hillsborough disaster who criticised its policing had their statements systematically doctored or paragraphs completely scrubbed out, new evidence has revealed.
Four PCs warned of a lack of police at the Sheffield football ground and that there were little or no personal radios - but these criticisms were removed or re-worded to protect the authorities after 96 fans died.
Downing Street confirmed that the Prime Minister received a copy of the Hillsborough report this morning, after it was seen by the families.
It has been revealed that a box of files containing police statements littered with hand-written notes saying ‘remove the last page’, ‘exclude the last paragraph’ and ‘rewritten as requested’.
The files also showed what the official statements had been changed to.
Martin McLoughlan, who was 31 at the time and had served as an officer for nine years, had two paragraphs of his police statement deleted.
According to The Independent he said police ‘appeared to be a bit thin on the ground for the numbers of people involved’ on April 15 1989, adding there was a ‘poor supply of personal radios’ when the exit gates at the Leppings Lane end were opened and led to many being crushed inside.
‘It seemed very bad that only one in our serial – the sergeant – should have a personal radio. We had great difficulty in finding out what happened and what was happening and for too long a time we were basically working in the dark,’ he added.
Later, these damning conclusions were scrubbed out including one key phrase: ‘basically it was chaos.’
He also said that he could hear ‘the voices of more and more officers getting desperate’ on the radio, but this was removed and replaced with the phrase ‘increased radio traffic’.
McLoughton's life spiraled out of control following Hillsborough, which he said left him so traumatised he lost his job, his wife and he even tried to kill himself while receiving mental health care.
Pc Alan Wadsworth, who was also at the ground, said in his statement: ‘There was no leadership at the Leppings Lane end following the disaster, either in person or on the radio. The only officer I heard on the radio with any form of organization and method was Chief Superintendent Nesbitt (sic) [a reference to John Nesbit, traffic division commander] who did not arrive until later.’
This whole section was crossed through and then removed from a later version.
Ever since the disaster, the reputation of Liverpool fans have been besmirched.
An officer there, David Sumner, gave a statement praising them at the time, which was also removed.
‘Many fans assisted in the removal of the dead and injured from the field,’ he said.
With chaos all around them, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest players watched the scenes at Hillsborough with complete and utter horror.
The match was abandoned at 3.06pm, just six minutes into the highly-anticipated FA Cup Semi Final in Sheffield, as fans flooded onto the pitch to escape the crush and others screamed for help from the stands.
As the families of 96 people killed in the Hillsborough tragedy will see thousands of official documents relating to the disaster for the first time today, players have also reflected on what they saw on that terrible day.
'One shot went over the bar. I went to pick up the ball. All they (the fans) said was, "They're killing us, Bruce, they're killing us". And I thought, "Who?"
'I took the kick and kicked it away. Voices through the fence. I looked round, and I could see the fright on the people's faces through the fence, and I said to the policeman: "Is there any chance that you can open the gate here?"
'Then a shot went past, and the ball was away in the corner. I went to retrieve it, and I said to the policewoman - I thought it was a policeman - "Get the effing gate open. Can't you see that they need it?" And there were screams coming at the time. I kicked the ball upfield, and I went back and said, 'Get the f****** gate open'.
'I turned back and the ball went out of play on the left, and that's when I shouted to the referee. The policeman came on to the field, and the game stopped.'
Defender Alan Hansen said: 'People wept all the way home. All the wives were crying. I was crying. Kenny was crying. Bruce said he was considering quitting.
'Although I never thought about giving up football despite being filled with guilt afterwards, I understood what Bruce meant.
'Those Liverpool fans went to Hillsborough to watch us and there we were, stepping on to a luxury coach to go home, and they were being laid out in a temporary morgue.
'As we traveled back across the Pennines, their mums and dads were making the reverse journey to come and identify their children's bodies.'
England captain Steven Gerrard's cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley, 10, was the youngest person to die there.
'Tears, anger and confusion tore through all of us. We hadn't known Jon-Paul was at the game,' he said.
'No-one should lose a life or a relative at a football match. Every time I see Jon-Paul's name cut into the cold marble outside the Shankly Gates, I fill with sadness and anger. I have never let anyone know this before, but it's true: I play for Jon-Paul.'
The image of a distraught Kenny Dalglish was also seen around the world.
'I don't know how many funerals I went to. Marina and I went to four in one day. We got a police escort between them. All the funerals were harrowing,' he said.
'All those families mourning the loss of their loved ones. Most of the church services finished with "You'll Never Walk Alone". I couldn't sing through any of the songs or hymns. I was too choked up.
'The words would never come out. I just stood there in a daze, still trying to come to terms with what had befallen the club and the people I so admired.
'The last funeral I went to was as harrowing as the first. I didn't get used to the grieving. Every funeral devastated me, as another family bade farewell to somebody they loved and shared life with.'
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You'll never walk alone: A huge crowd gathers at St George's Hall in Liverpool for last night's vigil for the 96 Victims of the Hillsborough disaster
Moving: A banner with the words 'We Never Walk Alone' hung from St George's Hall as people clap in respect for those killed in the tragedy
Angry: Families campaigner Trevor Hicks says that Sir Norman should quit immediately
'He is still saying the fans made the job more difficult for the police. He ought to be ashamed of himself. Do the decent thing Mr Bettison -resign.'
Former Home Secretary Jack Straw is one of many voices who says Sir Norman, who was also chief constable of Merseyside Police, should consider his position.
'I understand the concerns of the families. I think it is for his employers and for Sir Norman, between them,' he said.
'He's bound to be considering [his position] – it's inevitable. He can read the newspapers, and I would have hoped he would have been considering it for some time. I can see the point that the families are making. On the other hand, my dealings personally with Sir Norman suggested that he was a fine police officer.'
Prosecuting the police who cooked up 'the biggest cover up in history' at Hillsborough is 'absolutely essential', a former chief constable has said.
Richard Wells, who took over at South Yorkshire Police a year after the 1989 tragedy that killed 96, admitted the scale of the conspiracy to pin the blame on the innocent dead and injured had left him 'disappointed and angry'.
Mr Wells also slammed forces across Britain for their 'culture of authoritarianism, defensiveness [and] excessive secrecy' at the time, admitting he too 'swallowed, to my great regret now, the prevailing account - that the statements had been looked at for criminal justice purposes and emotional, non-evidential material had been removed'.
A matter of hours after the disaster in April 1989, officers had already started a campaign to smear supporters and fabricate evidence to prevent their failures coming to light.
There was no expression of support for Sir Norman from Downing Street today when David Cameron's official spokesman was questioned by reporters on his position.
The spokesman was asked several times at a daily press briefing in Westminster whether the Prime Minister continued to have 'faith' in Sir Norman as chief constable, but declined to respond directly to the question.
'The Prime Minister made a statement to the House of Commons yesterday setting out his views on this issue, the spokesman replied.
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And with prosecutions potentially looming for those involved in the cover up, asked if Mr Cameron would support a criminal investigation into events at Hillsborough the spokesman added: 'It is for the relevant authorities to make decisions based on the evidence.
'There was a report published yesterday and they also published hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence. It is obviously going to take some time to consider that.
'But it is a matter for the police and prosecutors as to whether there is a criminal investigation, just as it is a matter for the IPCC to make a decision on whether or not to look at issues of police conduct.'
Meanwhile, because it is at the centre of the scandal, South Yorkshire Police said it was looking in detail at the material released by the panel and its report and may refer itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
It said it needed to do this before it can make a decision on whether any specific matters should be referred to the police watchdog.
In a statement, the force said: 'South Yorkshire Police is currently reviewing a wide variety of matters raised in the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel with a view to making a referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.'
Sombre: Thousands including current Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, left, attended the vigil along with the city's famous comedian John Bishop
Justice: Kenny Dalglish, Jamie Carragher, Liverpool FC's Managing Director Ian Ayre, and former Everton player Graeme Sharp also attended the vigil
FA - WE'RE SORRY ABOUT TRAGEDY
The Hillsborough Independent Panel's report into the events at the FA Cup semi-final 23 years ago revealed a police cover-up had taken place which had intended to shift blame for the disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans, to the victims themselves.
The ground did not have a valid safety certificate at the time of the match. Sheffield Wednesday yesterday apologised and Bernstein today followed suit.
He said in a statement: 'We are deeply sorry this tragedy occurred at a venue the FA selected.
'This fixture was played in the FA's own competition, and on behalf of the Football Association I offer a full and unreserved apology and express sincere condolences to all of the families of those who lost their lives and to everyone connected to the City of Liverpool and Liverpool Football Club.'
He said he was 'very, very sorry' for comments he made about Liverpool fans involved in the Hillsborough disaster.
His article in the Spectator article was written in the wake of the death of British hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq, but went on to criticise 'drunken' Liverpool fans at Hillsborough.
It read: 'The deaths of more than 50 Liverpool football supporters at Hillsborough in 1989 was undeniably a greater tragedy than the single death, however horrible, of Mr Bigley; but that is no excuse for Liverpool's failure to acknowledge, even to this day, the part played in the disaster by drunken fans at the back of the crowd who mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground that Saturday afternoon.
'The police became a convenient scapegoat, and the Sun newspaper a whipping-boy for daring, albeit in a tasteless fashion, to hint at the wider causes of the incident.'
Today he apologised.
'I'm very, very glad that this report does lay to rest the false allegation that was made at the time about the behaviour of those fans,' he said.
'I'm glad that this independent report has finally nailed the myth that drunken fans were in any way responsible for the deaths of 96 people.
'That was a lie that unfortunately and very, very regrettably got picked up in a leader in the Spectator in 2004, which I was then editing.
'I went to Liverpool to apologise unreservedly for that mistake and I repeat that apology today.
'It was sloppy to repeat the old canard that the Hillsborough tragedy was caused by drunken fans, when the inquiry report found no evidence for this whatever.
'To judge by the huge mail I have received, that mistake caused real offence and hurt. Faced with such anger, any editor would feel obliged to make amends, and that is what I do now.'
Police officers and other officials recognised with an honour following the Hillsborough disaster 23 years ago but implicated in the cover-up should be stripped of their awards, an MP said today.
The SDLP's Mark Durkan (Foyle) said Parliament's Honours Forfeiture Committee should review awards handed to anyone involved in the tragedy which cost of the lives of 96 Liverpool fans.
Speaking outside parliament, Mr Durkan added: 'There was a concerted campaign of cover-up and smear in relation to the Hillsborough disaster and it included police officers and went beyond police
officers.
'It's not for me to start naming people. The knighthoods are the obvious ones that in my view the Forfeiture Committee should be considering.
'In the past it has needed a conviction before the committee has reviewed an honour but that didn't happen with Fred Goodwin (the former boss of Royal Bank of Scotland).
'In light of the anger and shock that there has been about the cover-up in relation to Hillsborough, there is an overwhelming case for the Forfeiture Committee to review these honours.'
Respects: Liverpool players carry lanterns as they attend the vigil last night for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster
Vigil: The players place the lanterns containing a single candle down on the steps in front of St George's Hall
'DEEPLY AND SINCERELY SORRY': FORMER TORY MP NAMED AS ONE SOURCE OF SUN'S COVERAGE APOLOGISES
Apology: Sir Irvine Patnick pictured in 1994
Sir Irvine Patnick said he had been given 'wholly inaccurate' information by some members of the police and was 'appalled' at the extent of the cover-up surrounding the disaster.
But the former Tory MP for Sheffield Hallam said he 'totally' accepted responsibility for repeating the information, which led to the tabloid newspaper’s notorious front page story headlined The Truth.
In a statement issued through the Conservative Party, Sir Irvine said: 'I would like to put on the record how appalled and shocked I was to discover the extent of the deceit and cover-up surrounding these events.
'It is now clear that the information I received from some police officers at the time was wholly inaccurate, misleading and plain wrong.
'However, I totally accept responsibility for passing such information on without asking further questions.
'So, many years after this tragic event, I am deeply and sincerely sorry for the part I played in adding to the pain and suffering of the victims’ families.'
Sir Irvine, 82, was named by the Hillsborough Independent Panel yesterday as one of the sources who briefed journalists that Liverpool fans were 'drunk and aggressive' and forced entry into the football ground, contributing to the deadly crush.
The panel found the origin of The Sun’s story, along with negative coverage in other newspapers, was a Sheffield-based news agency, which had been briefed by officers from South Yorkshire Police (SYP), a local Police Federation spokesman and Sir Irvine.
Their allegations were reported by White’s News Agency and were based on meetings with police officers and interviews with Sir Irvine and Paul Middup, the secretary of the South Yorkshire Police Federation.
The report states 'Mr Patnick based his comments on a conversation with police officers on the evening of the disaster while the officers were in considerable distress.'
Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, who wrote the headline, apologised yesterday and said he had been 'totally misled'.
After the revelations emerged yesterday a Labour MP wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron calling for the former government whip to be stripped of his knighthood over his 'shameful' role in the aftermath of the disaster.
Backbencher John Mann said: 'The shameful and disgusting behaviour of Sir Irvine Patnick is a significant feature in the Hillsborough independent panel report and his knighthood should be removed immediately.'
Former home secretary Jack Straw accused Margaret Thatcher's government of creating a 'culture of impunity' in the police that was on display in its handling of the Hillsborough disaster.
Angering Conservatives, the Labour MP said the police felt they could 'rule the roost' in the years after the 1984 miners' strike in which they played such a crucial role on behalf of the then prime minister.
Mr Straw expressed regret that a review he ordered in 1997 had failed to 'get to the bottom' of the tragedy or the police cover-up laid bare yesterday by the Hillsborough Independent Panel report.
But he suggested the behaviour of South Yorkshire Police reflected a culture presided over by the Thatcher administration.
'One other reflection I have about this is the state of the police generally in the late 1980s, and the fact that the Thatcher government, because they needed the police to be a partisan force, particularly for the miners' strike and other industrial troubles, created a culture of impunity in the police service,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
'They really were immune from outside influences and they thought they could rule the roost, and that is what we absolutely saw in South Yorkshire.'
Labour also called for a criminal investigation, overseen by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, into the wrongdoing uncovered by the Hillsborough report.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the inquest into the deaths should be reopened as soon as possible and granted full access to all the original and unaltered evidence.
She added: 'The double injustice for the families is in the scale and extent of the cover-up and the denial of truth by people and institutions that exist to provide just that. Clearly the inquest must focus on the terrible loss of life, and will not focus on the subsequent misinformation and altering of evidence.
'That is why we are asking the Home Office to set out a proper separate investigation into the cover-up and what happened in South Yorkshire Police, including looking at criminal charges.'
Vindication: Supporters sing You'll Never Walk Alone during the vigil
Their persistent argument that some of their loved ones could have been resuscitated had they been properly treated is shockingly vindicated.
Failures in leadership, communication problems and shortages of basic life-saving equipment, combined with the absence of an organised triage to assess injuries, mean – to families’ horror – dozens of fans might have lived with proper treatment.
That figure was based on post-mortem examinations which showed they may have had heart, lung or blood circulation function for some time after being pulled from the crush.
Chillingly, the report states that placing any fans who were merely unconscious on their backs would have obstructed their airways, resulting in their deaths.
Infamously, only one ambulance made it on to the pitch in the immediate aftermath of the crush, but not even the victims’ families had realised the scale of the betrayal. Many relatives have long been convinced that their loved ones could have been saved by a swifter response.
One of those, Anne Williams, 60, established from witnesses that her son Kevin, 15, was lifted from the pen at 3.28pm and laid on the pitch, alive but weak.
She took a statement from Special Constable Debra Martin, who was among those ferrying the dead and injured to the ground’s gym. That figure was based on post-mortem examinations which showed they may have had heart, lung or blood circulation function for some time after being pulled from the crush.
Plea: The Liverpool Echo's splash yesterday in light of the comments made by the Prime Minister with regards to the Hillsborough disaster
One of those, Anne Williams, 60, established from witnesses that her son Kevin, 15, was lifted from the pen at 3.28pm and laid on the pitch, alive but weak.
Miss Martin told Mrs Williams: ‘I stayed with Kevin. I felt for a pulse at the base of his neck and… there was a slight blip. I picked him up in my arms and he opened his eyes.
‘I’ll never forget the look in that little boy’s eyes. And he just said, “Mum” and carried on looking for a few more seconds.’
Pathologists now argue that broken bones in Kevin’s neck caused his airways to swell; a simple rubber tube down his throat would have saved him.
The police, however, held a fleet of ambulances outside the ground, so medical help did not reach the injured.
Mrs Williams has spent 23 years fighting for ‘official recognition that Kevin died needlessly’.
Yesterday’s report reveals how two ambulance officers at Hillsborough, Paul Eason and Patrick Higgin, at first failed to realise fans were dying in the crush and did not activate a major incident procedure which would have seen all resources sent to the ground.
At 3.08pm, police at the ground requested ‘a fleet of ambulances’. The response from control was ‘well, we can’t do that’ because their officers on the ground needed to assess the situation.The police, however, held a fleet of ambulances outside the ground, so medical help did not reach the injured.
Mrs Williams has spent 23 years fighting for ‘official recognition that Kevin died needlessly’.
Yesterday’s report reveals how two ambulance officers at Hillsborough, Paul Eason and Patrick Higgin, at first failed to realise fans were dying in the crush and did not activate a major incident procedure which would have seen all resources sent to the ground.
The report found police failed to use the code word ‘catastrophe’, which would have triggered the major incident plan.
Chief ambulance officer Albert Page later said there would have been ‘no point in deluging the ground with paramedics’, because they were not trained to work in crowds, the report reveals.
Together: The names of all the 96 Hillsborough victims are displayed at St George's Place in Liverpool City Centre as thousands of people gathered for a vigil last night
Never forgotten: A man touches the names of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster inscribed on the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield stadium
23 years waiting for the truth: A man wears a T-shirt remembering those who died as he takes part in the vigil in the centre of Liverpool
Poignant: A bouquet with the number 96 sits next to the lanterns at St Georges Hall in Liverpool for last night's vigil
Beacons: Ninety-six lanterns sit outside St Georges Hall, remembering each of the victims of the tragedy
'The world will understand why we would not stay silent': A poignant message is left beneath one of the lanterns, which were placed beneath a memorial banner
Shocking: Liverpool fans are pulled to safety on to the upper tier from the crush that was happening below at Hillsborough
Abandoned: After the cup semi was stopped Liverpool Manager Kenny Dalglish is comforted by a police officer, as he and Nottingham Forest Manager Brian Clough came off the Hillsborough pitch
Chaos: Thousands spilled onto the turf to avoid the crush that was happening in the stand
The panel investigating the disaster found that out of 101 statements given by ambulance personnel, 49 had been altered, 16 of them containing ‘substantial’ deletions or additions.
One unnamed ambulance worker’s reference to access to the pitch being ‘pitifully inadequate’ was removed.
Devastating: The work of the independent panel led by the Bishop of Liverpool Reverend James Jones, left, prompted a full apology by David Cameron in Parliament
All of this horrific failure should have been exposed by the inquest held into the 95 deaths in 1991 – a 96th supporter, Tony Bland, died in 1993 after being in a coma for four years.But, fatefully, coroner Dr Stefan Popper ruled that events after 3.15pm would not be considered on the basis that all the victims were dead within 15 minutes of the match kicking off.
As a result, ambulance crews were not called to give evidence and the question of whether more fans could have been saved was not addressed.
Expert: Dr Bill Kirkup revealed today that 41 people were living beyond the time suggested by the original coroner
Former cabinet minister Lord Falconer told BBC Breakfast: 'I think it now goes without saying there has got to be a new inquest.
'The evidence of the previous inquest was expressly limited to things that happened before 3.15pm on the day and we now know that 41 people had a potential to survive.
'That has never been investigated by an inquest or by any public inquiry and that now needs to be properly investigated by an inquest.
'Secondly, there needs to be set up a process now where the new documents are looked at and the question of criminal proceedings needs to be looked at.
'The report also made it absolutely clear that the civil actions that were brought by those who had suffered have probably also been settled or resolved on a false basis.'
‘They were a disgrace, they were a mockery and the system should be ashamed of itself,’ said Mrs Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son, James, in the disaster.
The Panel's medical expert Dr Bill Kirkup said the original inquest was wrong to say they could not be saved after 3.15pm, because a re-examination of evidence showed dozens were still breathing after that time but lost their lives in the chaos.
'In total 41 had evidence that they had potential to survive after the period of 3.15,' he said.
'What I can't say is how many of them could, in actuality, have been saved. But what I can say is that, potentially, it was in that order of magnitude.'
Revelations: Hillsborough Independent Panel members (from left to right) Raju Bhatt, Sarah Tyacke, Paul Leighton CBE, Peter Sissons, Bishop of Liverpool The Right Reverend James Jones (Chairman), Professor Phil Scraton, Dr Bill Kirkup CBE, Christine Gifford and Katy Jones answer questions at a press conference at the Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral yesterday afternoon
Findings: After two and a half years the experts found a cover up by the authorities to prevent being held to to task for their failings
THE PANEL'S KEY FINDINGS
- From the outset South Yorkshire Police (SYP) sought to deflect responsibility for the disaster on to Liverpool fans
- A major incident plan was not implemented and there were clear operational failures in response to the disaster
- The then chief constable of South Yorkshire Peter Wright and his officers, with the help of local Tory MP Irvine Patnick, sought to cover up the failings, briefing media that drunken, ticketless fans and violence were to blame
- Officers claimed fans had planned to arrive late at the stadium, but the report said there was no evidence of this
- There was also 'no evidence that they stole from the dead and dying'
- In contrast, 'the vast majority of fans on the pitch assisted in rescuing and evaluating the injured and the dead,' the panel said
- There was also no evidence to support the proposition that alcohol played any part in events.
- The report found that 164 police statements were altered, 116 of them to remove or alter 'unfavourable' comments about the policing of the match and the unfolding disaster
- South Yorkshire Ambulance Service documents were also changed
- The report found an attempt was made to attack the reputations of those who died by carrying out Police National Computer checks on those who had been drinking
- Blood alcohol levels were tested in some survivors as well as in all those who died. In some there was 'no apparent medical reason for the test' and no record was kept of the tests or their results in the medical notes of the survivors
- Documents also showed there was a delay from the emergency services when people were being crushed and killed
- Up to 41 of the fans who died 'had potential to survive'. The panel said there were a total of 41 victims who were either alive after 3.15pm - the coroner's cut off time - or who suffered injuries which were inconsistent with the findings of the pathologists. The coroner ruled that by 3.15pm all the victims had received fatal injuries, which meant that the inquests did not examine the chaotic response after that time
- The original pathologists' evidence of a single, unvarying pattern of death was 'unsustainable', the panel said.
- The panel also found that access to Cabinet documents revealed that in an exchange about her Government welcoming the Taylor Report into the tragedy, then prime minister Margaret Thatcher expressed her concern that the 'broad thrust' of the report constituted a 'devastating criticism of the police
The judge identified that some police statements had been altered, but put it down to 'at worst an error of judgment', according to Mr Straw. He also had the “same view as the rest of us” about the conduct of police.
But the Labour MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “With the benefit of hindsight it’s a matter of great regret to me that, although he did it in good faith, it was not as thorough as it could have been.”
He added: 'I regret that I had not spotted this. If I could turn the clock back I would do so and some years of heartache for these families could be saved.'
Mr Straw refused to back calls for the resignation of West Yorkshire Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison over his involvement in the original probe.
While stressing he “understood the concerns of the families”, Mr Straw added: 'My dealings with Sir Norman personally suggest he is a fine police officer.'
The independent panel, led by the Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, also found that police bent on pinning blame for the Hillsborough tragedy on Liverpool fans took blood from the dead, including children, to prove the tragedy was caused by drunk supporters.
Illicit criminal record checks were also carried out in a further attempt to take blame away from the authorities and force it on to the 96 dead and hundreds of others injured that day.
This misinformation led to an infamous Sun front page, headlined The Truth, that falsely reported that fans were drunken, violent and stole from corpses.
Kelvin MacKenzie, who was the editor of The Sun at the time of the Hillsborough tragedy and who wrote the headline, offered his 'profuse apologies to the people of Liverpool for that headline'.
He added: 'It has taken more than two decades, 400,000 documents and a two-year inquiry to discover to my horror that it would have been far more accurate had I written the headline The Lies rather than The Truth.
'I published in good faith and I am sorry that it was so wrong.'
The current editor of The Sun also apologised for his newspaper's role in the Hillsborough tragedy cover-up.
Dominic Mohan said: 'Twenty-three years ago The Sun newspaper made a terrible mistake. We published an inaccurate and offensive story about the events at Hillsborough. We said it was the truth - it wasn't.
'The Hillsborough Independent Panel has now established what really happened that day. It's an appalling story and at the heart of it are the police's attempts to smear Liverpool fans.
'It's a version of events that 23 years ago The Sun went along with and for that we're deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry.
'We've co-operated fully with the Hillsborough Independent Panel and will publish reports of their findings in tomorrow's newspaper. We will also reflect our deep sense of shame.'
The chief constable of South Yorkshire Police, the force at the centre of the scandal, said he was 'profoundly sorry' for his force's actions in the aftermath of the disaster.
David Crompton said he had been 'shocked' by the findings of the report and officers had made 'grave errors'.
He said in a statement: 'In the immediate aftermath senior officers sought to change the record of events. Disgraceful lies were told which blamed the Liverpool fans for the disaster.
'I am profoundly sorry for the way the force failed on 15th April 1989 and I am doubly sorry for the injustice that followed and I apologise to the families of the 96 and Liverpool fans.'
It came as David Cameron issued an apology to the families of Hillsborough victims 'for all they have suffered in the past 23 years'.
The Prime Minister said they had been unable to 'find the truth or find justice for their loved-ones' because of a cover-up.
'On behalf of the Government, and indeed of our country, I am profoundly sorry that this double injustice has been left uncorrected for so long,' he said.
Smears that Liverpool fans had caused the tragedy were also completely untrue, he said.
'Today's report is black and white, Liverpool fans were not to blame for the disaster.'
Incredibly, blood samples were taken from the dead, including children, to try to prove that they were drunk and had caused the disaster.
An attempt was made to 'impugn the reputations of the deceased by carrying out Police National Computer checks on those with a non-zero alcohol level,' Mr Cameron revealed.
Hillsborough Families Support Group member Trevor Hicks, who lost two daughters at Hillsborough, said they would now press for criminal action against those involved in the disaster, adding: 'The truth is out today, justice starts tomorrow.'
Mr Hicks said the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report revealed shocking 'depths of depravity' in the way the police tried to blame the fans after the disaster.
He added that the independent report contains findings that are 'deeply distressing,' confirming that the police had amended 164 statements and removed 116 negative comments about the policing operation that day.
Former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has added his voice to the many welcoming the publication of the truth about the Hillsborough disaster and calling for justices for the families affected.
The Scot, in his first spell as Reds boss, was in charge of the side for the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989 at Sheffield Wednesday's ground when 96 supporters died.
Dalglish was heavily involved in supporting the families in the aftermath of the tragedy and attended numerous funerals - including four in one day.
It ultimately took its toll as he quit Anfield 21 months later with the emotional stress being a significant factor in his decision to walk away from the club.
'Very positive outcome. 23 yrs waiting for the truth next step justice,' Dalglish wrote on Twitter.
Injustice: Prmie Minister David Cameron left the Commons in no doubt the fans were not to blame
Emotional: Margaret Aspinall, left, chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, speaks in Liverpool today. Her son James Aspinall, right, was one of the 96 killed
Mr Cameron also said the new evidence raised 'must be examined' and the Attorney General would be considering it as quickly as possible - raising the prospects of criminal prosecutions.
He told MPs: 'With the weight of the new evidence in this report, it is right for me today as Prime Minister to make a proper apology to the families of the 96 for all they have suffered over the past 23 years.'
'In spite of all the investigations they have sensed that their search for truth and justice has been thwarted and that no-one has been held accountable.
'What happened that day - and since - was wrong.
'It was wrong that the responsible authorities knew Hillsborough did not meet minimum safety standards and yet still allowed the match to go ahead.
'It was wrong that the families have had to wait for so long - and fight so hard - just to get to the truth.
'And it was wrong that the police changed the records of what happened and tried to blame the fans.
'We ask the police to do difficult and often very dangerous things on our behalf, and South Yorkshire Police is a very different organisation today from what it was then.
'But we do the many, many honourable police men and women a great disservice if we try to defend the indefensible.
'It was also wrong that neither Lord Justice Taylor nor the Coroner looked properly at the response of the other emergency services.'
HOW NEGATIVE STATEMENTS FROM POLICE OFFICERS WERE DOCTORED
One of the most shocking aspects of today's report is the extent to which police statements were altered by South Yorkshire Police before they were submitted to the official inquiry.
The panel found that 164 police statements were altered, 116 of them to remove or alter 'unfavourable' comments about the policing of the match and the unfolding disaster.
This process was conducted by a small team of police officers on the authority of the Chief Constable.
The following comments by police officers were among some of those deleted:
The panel found that 164 police statements were altered, 116 of them to remove or alter 'unfavourable' comments about the policing of the match and the unfolding disaster.
This process was conducted by a small team of police officers on the authority of the Chief Constable.
The following comments by police officers were among some of those deleted:
- 'I at no time heard any directions being given in terms of leadership'
- 'I have to state that even at this stage and this location and with a number of higher ranks in the area nobody seemed to be organising the injured.'
- 'Sergeants and Inspectors appeared to be aimlessly milling about and direct radio control appeared to be lost. There did not appear to be any leadership.'
- ‘The Control Room seemed to have been hit by some sort of paralysis’
- 'Compared to other semi-finals held at Hillsborough, the organisation of this event was poor, as has been the case for most of the season.'
- 'There was no leadership at the Leppings Lane end following the disaster either in person or on the radio'
Labour leader Ed Miliband added that the report revealed the original inquest was 'hopelessly inadequate'.
'The people of Liverpool were systematically smeared and portrayed as its perpetrators,' he said.
'Imagine for a moment any of us waving a loved one off as they go to a football match, and then the impossible grief of your loved one not returning.
'Then imagine being unable to grieve in peace, but facing two decades of torment, a cloud of suspicion, innuendo and downright lies spread about the person you loved: lies about rushing the gate, lies about ticketless fans, lies about the drunkenness of the victims.
'This is what the Hillsborough families had to endure from day one of this tragedy.'
DAVID CAMERON'S STATEMENT REFLECTS ON THE PAIN OF LOSING A CHILD
Pain: David Cameron yesterday evoked the memory of his son Ivan as he spoke of the 'double injustice' suffered by the families of the 96 Hillsborough victims
In a sombre statement, the Prime Minister offered relatives his ‘profound apology’ and admitted they had been ‘right’ to believe there had been a cover-up.
He said: ‘Anyone who has lost a child knows the pain never leaves you.
‘But to read a report years afterwards that says – and I quote – ‘a swifter, more appropriate, better focused and properly equipped response had the potential to save more lives’, can only add to the pain.
‘Not enough people in this country understand what the people of Merseyside have been through. This appalling death toll of so many loved ones lost was compounded by an attempt to blame the victims.’
For most of his statement, MPs sat silently and shook their heads in sorrow.
But as Mr Cameron revealed some of the more shocking findings, many gasped with horror and were unable to contain their emotions.
Mr Cameron said the report was ‘black and white’ in saying that the fans were ‘not the cause of the disaster’ and paid tribute to the ‘incredible strength and dignity’ of the families throughout their long fight for justice.
He said: ‘On behalf of the Government, and indeed of our country, I am profoundly sorry that this double injustice has been left uncorrected for so long.’ He added: ‘The families have long believed that some of the authorities attempted to create a completely unjust account of events that sought to blame the fans for what happened.
‘The families were right. The evidence in today’s report includes briefings to the media and attempts by the police to change the record of events.’
He said there was ‘new evidence’ that the authorities failed, saying ‘there is a trail of new documents which show the extent to which the safety of the crowd at Hillsborough was ‘compromised at every level’.
Frank: Labour leader Ed Miliband, in turn, admitted the 'uncomfortable truth' that Labour should also have done more during its 13 years in power to help the families
‘The Prime Minister was right to offer an unreserved apology, but all governments during this period bear their share of responsibility for the failure to get to the truth, so we on this side also apologise to the families that we didn’t do enough to help.’
Liverpudlian MP Andy Burnham, who set up the independent panel, said: ‘Finally the full horror of Hillsborough has been revealed.
‘A catalogue of negligence, appalling failure and sheer mendacity. A tragedy that should have been prevented, lives that should have been saved.’
Reporting by Kirsty Walker
The independent report condemned the responses of the authorities to the disaster at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
A panel, led by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, has examined 450,000 documents and the families of 96 people killed in the Hillsborough tragedy have begun viewing them.
Police and emergency services made 'strenuous attempts' to deflect the blame for the Hillsborough disaster onto innocent fans, newly published documents about the tragedy revealed.
The disclosures were made by the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which has been overseeing the release of thousands of official documents relating to Britain's deadliest sporting disaster.
The Bishop of Liverpool said: 'For nearly a quarter of a century the families of the 96 and the survivors of Hillsborough have nursed an open wound waiting for answers to unresolved questions. It has been a frustrating and painful experience adding to their grief.
'In spite of all the investigations they have sensed that their search for truth and justice has been thwarted and that no-one has been held accountable.
'In spite of all the investigations they have sensed that their search for truth and justice has been thwarted and that no-one has been held accountable.
'There were clear operational failures in response to the disaster and in its aftermath their were strenuous attempts to deflect the blame onto the fans.
'The panel's detailed report shows how vulnerable victims, survivors and their families are when transparency and accountability are compromised.
'My colleagues and I were from the start of our work impressed by the dignified determination of the families.'
He added: 'The panel produces this report without any presumption of where it will lead.
'But it does so in the profound hope that greater transparency will bring to the families and to the wider public a greater understanding of the tragedy and its aftermath.
'For it is only with this transparency that the families and survivors, who have behaved with such dignity, can with some sense of truth and justice cherish the memory of their 96 loved ones.'
In its summary the panel said: 'It is evident from analysis of the various investigations that from the outset South Yorkshire Police sought to deflect responsibility for the disaster on to Liverpool fans ... there is no evidence to support this view.'
The documents also reveal the 'extent to which substantive amendments were made' to statements by South Yorkshire Police to remove or alter 'unfavourable' comments about the policing of the match and the unfolding disaster.
The documents show, for the first time, that South Yorkshire Ambulance Service documents were 'subject to the same process', the panel said.
They went on to say the wrongful allegations about the fans' behaviour later printed in some newspapers, particularly The Sun, originated from 'a Sheffield press agency, senior SYP officers, an SYP Police Federation spokesperson and a local MP'.
Poignant: Shoppers in the centre of Liverpool in Clayton Square stand for a 2 minute silence in remembrance to the 96 people who died at Hillsborough this afternoon
Respect: A mourner stands at the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield today
Poignant: Fresh flowers are laid at the memorial celebrating the lives of the 96 dead
Simple poignant message: Flowers laid at a memorial to 96 fans killed at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 are seen at Anfield today
'The vast majority of fans on the pitch assisted in rescuing and evaluating the injured and the dead,' the panel said.
The documents go on to reveal the original pathologists' evidence of a single, unvarying pattern of death was 'unsustainable', the panel said.
The families have always disputed the accidental verdict which followed the inquest into the deaths.
The report found that 116 of the 164 police statements identified for 'substantive amendment' were 'amended to remove or alter comments unfavourable to SYP.'
HOW A PROUD AND DETERMINED CITY REACTED TO PANEL'S FINDINGS
Remembrance: People take part in a vigil for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster outside Liverpool's St George's Hall last night
Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram, who was at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster and whose constituency is home to Liverpool FC, said: 'This is a momentous day. On behalf of the people of Liverpool, can I thank the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for their statements of support to the families, supporters and to the people of Liverpool.
'Finally we have the undeniable truth, a truth we know now means many innocent people who could and should have been saved, a truth that unequivocally confirms Liverpool fans were not the cause of the disaster and drink was not a significant factor.
'A truth that both vindicates and validates the 23-year campaign for truth and justice, despite the criticism levelled at us as a self pity city.
'That we were right, there was a deliberate attempt to shift the blame, to instigate a cover up at the very highest level.
'It is not about retribution, it is about responsibility. Today, we have made history but now we must change history.'
The Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson echoed calls for fresh inquests and said those involved in the cover-up should be brought to account.
He said: 'It is absolutely clear for everyone to see that those affected were victims not only of a terrible event, but also of an unforgivable miscarriage of justice.
'They were aided and abetted by some sections of the media, who should now apologise for misleading the nation and smearing the reputation of Liverpool FC fans and the city.
'It is to the credit of families that they have never given up on their quest to find out what happened on that dreadful day.
'Now that we finally have the truth of what happened in 1989, we must make sure the families get the justice they deserve.
'I am calling on the Attorney General to apply to the High Court immediately to quash the original inquest verdicts so that a fresh inquiry can be held.
'Furthermore, those who played a role in the cover up should be brought to account for their deceit and corruption.
'The people of Liverpool will stand shoulder to shoulder with the families as we seek to make sure they get justice they have sought for so long.'
Difficult day: Members of the public pay their respects at the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield stadium
The panel also found that access to Cabinet documents revealed that in an exchange about her Government welcoming the Taylor Report into the tragedy Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher expressed her concern that the 'broad thrust' of the report constituted a 'devastating criticism of the police'.
It came as it was revealed that junior officers present at the Hillsborough disaster who criticised its policing had their statements systematically doctored or paragraphs completely scrubbed out, new evidence has revealed.
Four PCs warned of a lack of police at the Sheffield football ground and that there were little or no personal radios - but these criticisms were removed or re-worded to protect the authorities after 96 fans died.
Downing Street confirmed that the Prime Minister received a copy of the Hillsborough report this morning, after it was seen by the families.
The files also showed what the official statements had been changed to.
Martin McLoughlan, who was 31 at the time and had served as an officer for nine years, had two paragraphs of his police statement deleted.
According to The Independent he said police ‘appeared to be a bit thin on the ground for the numbers of people involved’ on April 15 1989, adding there was a ‘poor supply of personal radios’ when the exit gates at the Leppings Lane end were opened and led to many being crushed inside.
‘It seemed very bad that only one in our serial – the sergeant – should have a personal radio. We had great difficulty in finding out what happened and what was happening and for too long a time we were basically working in the dark,’ he added.
Release: The Hillsborough Independent Panel report came out yesterday
Awash: Fans flooded into Anfield to leave flowers for the dead and injured at Hillsborough in 1989
He also said that he could hear ‘the voices of more and more officers getting desperate’ on the radio, but this was removed and replaced with the phrase ‘increased radio traffic’.
McLoughton's life spiraled out of control following Hillsborough, which he said left him so traumatised he lost his job, his wife and he even tried to kill himself while receiving mental health care.
Pc Alan Wadsworth, who was also at the ground, said in his statement: ‘There was no leadership at the Leppings Lane end following the disaster, either in person or on the radio. The only officer I heard on the radio with any form of organization and method was Chief Superintendent Nesbitt (sic) [a reference to John Nesbit, traffic division commander] who did not arrive until later.’
This whole section was crossed through and then removed from a later version.
Ever since the disaster, the reputation of Liverpool fans have been besmirched.
An officer there, David Sumner, gave a statement praising them at the time, which was also removed.
‘Many fans assisted in the removal of the dead and injured from the field,’ he said.
'They're killing us, Bruce, they're killing us': Players remember watching the Hillsborough tragedy unfold with horror
By MARTIN ROBINSONWith chaos all around them, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest players watched the scenes at Hillsborough with complete and utter horror.
The match was abandoned at 3.06pm, just six minutes into the highly-anticipated FA Cup Semi Final in Sheffield, as fans flooded onto the pitch to escape the crush and others screamed for help from the stands.
As the families of 96 people killed in the Hillsborough tragedy will see thousands of official documents relating to the disaster for the first time today, players have also reflected on what they saw on that terrible day.
Pleas: Fans were begging Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar to save them as some died in the crush behind his goal at Hillsborough
Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar remembers vividly the moments leading up to the game's abandonment and the devastation happening behind his goal.'One shot went over the bar. I went to pick up the ball. All they (the fans) said was, "They're killing us, Bruce, they're killing us". And I thought, "Who?"
Inspiration: Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard's cousin Jon-Paul, 10, died at Hillsborough and he says that this painful experience for the family inspired him to greatness
'Then a shot went past, and the ball was away in the corner. I went to retrieve it, and I said to the policewoman - I thought it was a policeman - "Get the effing gate open. Can't you see that they need it?" And there were screams coming at the time. I kicked the ball upfield, and I went back and said, 'Get the f****** gate open'.
'I turned back and the ball went out of play on the left, and that's when I shouted to the referee. The policeman came on to the field, and the game stopped.'
Defender Alan Hansen said: 'People wept all the way home. All the wives were crying. I was crying. Kenny was crying. Bruce said he was considering quitting.
'Although I never thought about giving up football despite being filled with guilt afterwards, I understood what Bruce meant.
'Those Liverpool fans went to Hillsborough to watch us and there we were, stepping on to a luxury coach to go home, and they were being laid out in a temporary morgue.
'As we traveled back across the Pennines, their mums and dads were making the reverse journey to come and identify their children's bodies.'
England captain Steven Gerrard's cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley, 10, was the youngest person to die there.
'Tears, anger and confusion tore through all of us. We hadn't known Jon-Paul was at the game,' he said.
'No-one should lose a life or a relative at a football match. Every time I see Jon-Paul's name cut into the cold marble outside the Shankly Gates, I fill with sadness and anger. I have never let anyone know this before, but it's true: I play for Jon-Paul.'
The image of a distraught Kenny Dalglish was also seen around the world.
'I don't know how many funerals I went to. Marina and I went to four in one day. We got a police escort between them. All the funerals were harrowing,' he said.
'All those families mourning the loss of their loved ones. Most of the church services finished with "You'll Never Walk Alone". I couldn't sing through any of the songs or hymns. I was too choked up.
'The words would never come out. I just stood there in a daze, still trying to come to terms with what had befallen the club and the people I so admired.
'The last funeral I went to was as harrowing as the first. I didn't get used to the grieving. Every funeral devastated me, as another family bade farewell to somebody they loved and shared life with.'
CALLS FLOOD IN FOR INQUEST VERDICTS TO BE 'QUASHED'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2201898/Finally-Hillsborough-families-know-truth-The-police-lied-41-96-victims-saved-Now-justice.html#ixzz26NoHOsFD
