Charges against Norman Bettison were withdrawn and the prosecution discontinued.GETTY IMAGES
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped all criminal charges against NORMAN BETTISON "relating to his conduct as a South Yorkshire police chief inspector in the force's response" to the '89 Hillsborough disaster, according to David Conn of the London GUARDIAN. Bettison, who was subsequently appointed chief constable of Merseyside and then West Yorkshire police, was charged in June '17 with four counts of misconduct in a public office for statements he allegedly made about Hillsborough and his role, "which the CPS claimed were untrue." Bettison made an application for the charges to be dismissed, which was due to be heard at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday, but CPS Barrister SARAH WHITEHOUSE QC, told the judge, PETER OPENSHAW, that all four charges against Bettison "were being withdrawn" and the prosecution discontinued. The collapse of the case against Bettison came as a "profound disappointment to relatives of the people who were killed in a crush at Hillsborough." Bettison was not charged for his actual conduct or role in the South Yorkshire police's response to the disaster. Instead, the CPS alleged that Bettison "lied about his role in statements he made years later," in '98 and '12 (GUARDIAN, 7/21). In London, David Brown reported Bettison condemned "political interference" in the decision to charge him over the Hillsborough disaster. The victims' families said that they would challenge the decision of the CPS to drop the charges. Bettison said on the steps of the court that the "loss of loved ones who will never come home from Hillsborough is an enduring tragedy." He added, "I have been forced to deny, strenuously, that I was guilty of any wrongdoing in the aftermath of the disaster. Today's outcome vindicates that position. Six years ago, I was driven from the job that had been my vocation for 40 years and some commentators, who didn't really know anything about me or the facts, rushed to judgment and predetermined my guilt" (LONDON TIMES, 8/21). In London, Andy Bounds reported CPS Dir of Legal Services SUE HEMMING said that there were "a number of significant developments which have affected the available evidence" since the decision to charge Bettison. These included "two witnesses changing their evidence and the death of a third witness." Hemming said, "Our latest review of the evidence has concluded the collective impact of these developments means there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 8/21).
