Hillsborough inquiry: Former chief inspector at time of disaster chokes up as he says he was blamed for a 'cover-up' of a plan to smear fans

The most senior police officer to give evidence at the inquests so far appears to have softened his stance

Sir Norman Bettison is the most senior police figure to give evidence to the inquests (PA)

To his critics, Sir Norman Bettison has been unmoveable in defence of his alleged involvement in a smear campaign against Liverpool fans in the wake of the Hillsborough tragedy. But the most senior police officer to give evidence at the inquests so far, appeared soften his stance.

Sir Norman, who was a chief inspector at the time of the disaster on 15 April 1989, in which 96 Liverpool fans were fatally crushed, appeared to choke as he told the inquests he was blamed for a “cover-up” of a plan to smear fans.

He spoke of his regret for putting out a statement following the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP) report in 2012.

Sir Norman said he was at the “front and centre of a very serious allegation of a cover-up and putting the blame on Liverpool fans” for causing the fans’ deaths. He spoke of the need to respond to that by putting out a statement on the 13 September 2012 that was “hurried and ill-thought through and wrong”. He said it was a summary of his honestly-held beliefs and had been his “mantra for 23 years.”

Reading his statement in response to the HIP report, which said the deaths were “caused mainly through a lack of police control” adding “fans’ behaviour, to the extent that it was relevant at all, made the job of the police in the crush outside Leppings Lane turnstiles harder than it needed to be”, he told the inquests in Warrington of his “regret” of putting out the statement in the terms he did. He said “he didn’t need to mention the fans’ behaviour at all”.

“I had been in a firestorm. There were camera crews and journalists camped outside my house for 48 hours,” he added.In response to hostile press coverage the following day, he issued a further statement in which he said fans were in “no way to blame” for the deaths of 96 entirely innocent people and apologised for his earlier remarks saying his role was “never to besmirch fans” and was deeply sorry.

He read out both statements but did not apologise again.

He admitted he searched for “buzzwords” in witness statements, including “drunk, unruly, pushing, shoving, fighting, violent, ticketless” and that he was also given the job of searching the police computer to find witnesses who had given the most emphatic evidence alleging supporters were misbehaving, drunk or had no tickets.

The 59-year-old, who was – until his resignation in 2012 – chief constable of West Yorkshire Police, told the jury with “absolute confidence” he had not attended a meeting where a senior colleague sought to blame the disaster on drunken and ticketless Liverpool fans.

He described as “untrue” an account from Inspector Clive Davis, who told the inquests in March that a meeting took place, in which Chief Superintendent Terry Wain told officers they were going to blame the disaster on drunken Liverpool fans.

Sir Norman said Mr Wain never said anything “that resembled those remarks”. He denied telling Mr Davis it would be “career-enhancing” to attend the meeting.

The inquests were adjourned until Tuesday, when Sir Norman will resume giving evidence.