Hillsborough trial: Men acquitted as judge rules no case to answer - BBC News

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Two retired police officers and an ex-solicitor accused of altering police statements after the Hillsborough disaster have been acquitted.

Retired Ch Supt Donald Denton, retired Det Ch Insp Alan Foster and former solicitor Peter Metcalf had denied perverting the course of justice.

They were accused of trying to minimise the blame on South Yorkshire Police in the aftermath of the 1989 disaster.

Mr Justice William Davis ruled they had no case to answer.

He said the statements had been prepared for the public inquiry chaired by Lord Taylor in 1990.

The judge said this was not a statutory inquiry and therefore not considered "a court of law", so it was not a "course of public justice" which could be perverted.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died as a result of the crush at the FA Cup semi-final match at Sheffield Wednesday's ground on 15 April 1989.

One family member, Chrissie Burke, called out to the jury "the families are heartbroken".

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has campaigned with the Hillsborough families, said the ruling was "a disgrace and so disrespectful to the families".

He added: "Why was it not left to the jury to decide?

"I can only conclude that the scales of justice in this country are weighed heavily against ordinary people."

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram tweeted: "My thoughts are once again with the families of the 96 today, who face yet another kick in the teeth."

Before the jury was called into court, prosecutor Sarah Whitehouse QC said they would not seek leave to appeal the judge's decision.

Sue Hemming, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said they were "right to bring this case and for a court to hear the evidence of what happened in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster".

"Words cannot describe the sheer devastation of the Hillsborough disaster and the impact on the family and friends of the 96 who died, and hundreds more who were injured," she said.

Analysis

By Judith Moritz, BBC North of England correspondent

The collapse of this trial will anger and distress many of those who've spent 32 years campaigning for "Justice for the 96".

It's likely that it will mark the end of the legal road for them, which has been long and winding, with few ups and many downs.

In 2016 they celebrated the inquests verdicts which found that the 96 had been unlawfully killed, and that the fans were not to blame.

There were high hopes for accountability. But the match commander David Duckenfield was acquitted after two trials, and the collapse of this aftermath trial means that no one has been convicted for the alleged cover-up.

Over the last three decades there have been four trials, two sets of inquests, a public inquiry and several other investigations and reviews.

Despite all of those proceedings, it remains the case that the bereaved families feel let down by the system. They feel that they know the truth of what happened to their loved ones, but they haven't had justice.

Six men were charged in 2017 following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into allegations of a cover-up by police following the tragedy.

All charges against Sir Norman Bettison, a chief inspector in 1989, who was accused of trying to blame Liverpool fans for the disaster, were dropped in 2018 because of insufficient evidence.

The match commander on the day, David Duckenfield, was found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter at a retrial in November 2019, after the jury in his first trial was unable to reach a verdict.

Sheffield Wednesday's former club secretary Graham Mackrell was found guilty of a health and safety offence in May 2019, relating to the provision of turnstiles.

Mr Denton, 83, of Sheffield; Mr Foster, 74, of Harrogate; and Mr Metcalf, 71, of Ilkley, had all denied two counts of perverting the course of justice.

The three men had been on trial at the Nightingale Court at the Lowry Theatre in Salford for more than four weeks.

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2021-05-26 10:42:10Z
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Covid-19: Government backtracks over travel advice and England's vaccine rollout extended - BBC News

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning. We'll have another update for you this evening.

1. Government backtracks over local travel advice

After advising people not to travel into and out of eight areas in England worst hit by Indian coronavirus variant, the government has now said travel should be minimised, clarifying local restrictions are not being imposed. The government came under fire on Tuesday over the initial advice for Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside. Although advice on avoiding all non-essential travel has changed, around two million people in those affected areas are still being asked to meet outdoors and stay two metres apart from anyone in other households, wherever possible.

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2. Vaccine rollout reaches 30 and 31-year-olds in England

The vaccine rollout continues at pace in England with people aged 30 and 31 being invited to book their first dose of a Covid jab. The NHS is urging the million or so in the latest category to book an appointment at one of the 1,600 available locations. Several areas are seeing a surge in coronavirus cases linked to the Indian variant and two doses of the vaccines are needed for strong protection. Meanwhile, over-18s in most areas of Wales, over-25s in Northern Ireland and those aged 30 and above in Scotland are all being invited to book appointments for their first dose.

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3. Cummings to be quizzed by MPs on pandemic handling

The prime minister's former aide, Dominic Cummings, will be questioned by MPs later as part of an ongoing inquiry into "lessons learnt" about coronavirus. Mr Cummings - who has been increasingly critical of the government in recent months - will be asked about ministers' handling of the pandemic. He says "secrecy" had "contributed greatly to the catastrophe". Downing Street says it is getting on with the "huge task" of recovery.

4. DIY and building projects hit by materials shortage

Most people have been doing some DIY during Covid restrictions and it appears building materials are now running short in the UK. Due to "unprecedented levels of demand" - which is set to continue - cement, some electrical components, timber, steel and paints are all in short supply, the Construction Leadership Council warns. Some building firms may have to delay projects, others could be forced to close as a result and people are being advised to delay home improvement projects until autumn.

5. Technology helps parents of premature babies stay in touch

When Gracie was born two months early visiting was restricted for her parents due to the pandemic. But thanks to new technology, Grant and Lucy have been watching their daughter grow via updates from nurses at Evelina Children's Hospital.

Get a longer daily news briefing from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning, by signing up here.

And there's more...

Although restrictions have eased, advice has changed in some areas due to the Indian variant of Covid-19. Find out what rules apply to you, using our postcode checker.

Find further information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

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2021-05-26 07:13:45Z
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Covid: Government clarifies advice for areas in England worst-hit by Indian variant - BBC News

Reuters

Advice for eight areas in England worst-hit by the Indian coronavirus variant has been updated after the government clarified that it was not imposing local restrictions.

There was confusion after guidance was published earlier covering Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

It had asked people not to meet indoors or travel unnecessarily.

The updated advice asks people to minimise, rather than avoid, travel.

A government spokesperson said it wanted to "make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions" in areas where the new variant is spreading.

"Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent," the spokesperson said.

"This includes, wherever possible, trying to meet outdoors rather than indoors, keeping two metres apart from anyone you don't live with and minimising travel in and out of the area."

• Can I travel in an area affected by the Indian variant?
• Who can book their Covid vaccine now?
• Where is the Indian variant and how is it spreading?

The statement followed 24 hours of confusion which began when it emerged that advice specifically for the eight areas had been published several days ago without any government announcement.

It prompted a denial from Downing Street that it was imposing local lockdowns by stealth.

The prime minister's official spokesman said the government wanted to encourage the public "to exercise their good judgement", rather than issuing "top-down edicts".

Several of the local authorities affected by the new advice said they had not been consulted about it and only learned of its existence through media reports.

On Tuesday afternoon, local councils for the eight areas - which together represent more than two million people - emerged from a meeting with government officials and insisted there were no restrictions on travel in their areas and "no local lockdowns".

They said they are working to increase vaccination and testing - with Kirklees the latest area to announce door-to-door testing - as well as to support people self-isolating.

"There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic," the councils said.

Greater Manchester's Labour mayor Andy Burnham said the confusion over the advice was a "major communications error" which had a "major effect on people's lives".

Norma Redfearn, Labour mayor of North Tyneside, said "after a day of confusion" it had been confirmed the area was "at the same stage of the road map as the rest of the country".

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the messaging had been "completely contradictory" at a time "when clarity is everything".

He said: "If you've got a holiday booked for half term next week, does the government want you to cancel it or not? If you've got a wedding organised, do you have to cancel your wedding now?"

Bolton Council's Conservative leader David Greenhalgh said there had been a "fear" the town would be singled out for a local lockdown.

He said: "As long as they follow the guidance I don't believe residents in Bolton should be cancelling holidays."

Overall cases of Covid are at their highest rate for six months in Bolton, at 452.1 cases per 100,000 people. The Royal Bolton Hospital said it would take "urgent action" to manage an increase in Covid patients.

Meanwhile, the UK reported 15 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test and 2,493 new confirmed cases. Tuesday's figures for reported deaths are sometimes higher due to weekend reporting delays.

The original guidance, published on a page titled "what you can and cannot do", advised people in the eight areas of England to:

• Meet outside rather than inside where possible
• Keep two metres apart from people who you do not live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them), this includes friends and family you don't live with
• Avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education

It was first published on 14 May to cover Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen and Bedford, before being updated to include the six other areas on Friday.

But Mohammad Yasin, Labour MP for Bedford and Kempston, questioned why there was no announcement, calling it "guidance, which astonishingly no-one was actually guided to".

"Why put out advice, then tell people they don't have to follow it? Surely these restrictions are needed or they are not?" he said.

Following a meeting with government officials, some of the local councils said they hoped the advice would be withdrawn.

Wendy Burke, director of public health for North Tyneside Council, told BBC Radio Newcastle "we think it would be helpful if it was removed", adding that it was "very, very confusing".

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2021-05-25 22:48:08Z
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Covid: Government clarifies advice for areas in England worst-hit by Indian variant - BBC News

Reuters

Advice for eight areas in England worst-hit by the Indian coronavirus variant has been updated after the government clarified it is not imposing local restrictions.

There was confusion after guidance was published earlier covering Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

It asked people not to meet indoors or travel unnecessarily.

The updated advice asks people to minimise, rather than avoid, travel.

A government spokesperson said it wanted to "make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions" in areas where the new variant is spreading.

"Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent," the spokesperson said.

"This includes, wherever possible, trying to meet outdoors rather than indoors, keeping two metres apart from anyone you don't live with and minimising travel in and out of the area."

• Can I travel in an area affected by the Indian variant?
• Who can book their Covid vaccine now?
• Where is the Indian variant and how is it spreading?

The statement followed 24 hours of confusion which began when it emerged that advice for the eight areas of England had been updated on 14 May and again on Friday without any government announcement.

It prompted a denial from Downing Street that it was imposing local lockdowns by stealth, with the prime minister's official spokesman said the government wanted to encourage the public "to exercise their good judgement", rather than issuing "top-down edicts".

On Tuesday afternoon, local councils for the eight areas - which together represent more than two million people - emerged from a meeting with government officials and insisted there were no restrictions on travel in their areas and "no local lockdowns".

They said they are working to increase vaccination and testing - with Kirklees the latest area to announce door-to-door testing - as well as to support people self-isolating.

"There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic," the councils said.

Greater Manchester's Labour mayor Andy Burnham said the confusion over the advice was a "major communications error" which had a "major effect on people's lives" and a government minister should issue a clarification.

Norma Redfearn, Labour mayor of North Tyneside, said "after a day of confusion" it had been confirmed the area was "at the same stage of the road map as the rest of the country".

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the messaging had been "completely contradictory" at a time "when clarity is everything".

He said: "If you've got a holiday booked for half term next week, does the government want you to cancel it or not? If you've got a wedding organised, do you have to cancel your wedding now?"

Bolton Council's Conservative leader David Greenhalgh said there had been a "fear" the town would be singled out for a local lockdown. He said: "As long as they follow the guidance I don't believe residents in Bolton should be cancelling holidays."

Overall cases of Covid are at their highest rate for six months in Bolton, at 452.1 cases per 100,000 people. The Royal Bolton Hospital said it would take "urgent action" to manage an increase in Covid patients.

Vital for everyone to send same message

Can't or shouldn't?

This is the fundamental question behind a day of confusion over what the government is saying to people living in the eight areas of England most affected by the Indian variant.

The prime minister's official spokesman told journalists that issuing guidance was "clearly different" to setting rules in law.

But is it that clear? Labour doesn't think so.

It says telling people they can do something, but then also telling them they really shouldn't, just creates confusion.

This is going to become increasingly important: ministers have said they want to move to a position of letting people make their own judgements about coronavirus rather than imposing rules.

Important too are the questions raised by this incident about how the government is communicating with other organisations.

If ministers want people to make informed choices for themselves, it will be vital that councils, public health bodies and the government are all sending out the same message.

Meanwhile, the UK reported 15 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test and 2,493 new confirmed cases. Tuesday's figures for reported deaths are sometimes higher due to weekend reporting delays.

Several of the local authorities affected by the new advice said they were not consulted about it and only learned of its existence through media reports.

But the Downing Street source told the BBC all the areas were informed about the latest advice.

The guidance, published on a page titled "what you can and cannot do", advises people in the eight areas of England to:

• Meet outside rather than inside where possible
• Keep two metres apart from people who you do not live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them), this includes friends and family you don't live with
• Avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education

It was first published on 14 May to cover Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen and Bedford, before being updated to include the six other areas on Friday.

But Mohammad Yasin, Labour MP for Bedford and Kempston, questioned why there was no announcement, calling it "guidance, which astonishingly no-one was actually guided to".

"Why put out advice, then tell people they don't have to follow it? Surely these restrictions are needed or they are not?" he said.

Following a meeting with government officials, some of the local councils said they hoped the advice would be withdrawn.

Wendy Burke, director of public health for North Tyneside Council, told BBC Radio Newcastle "we think it would be helpful if it was removed", adding that it was "very, very confusing".

• IF YOU DON'T KNOW: Business tips from the youngest ever Dragon
• THE NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE THAT MADE ME A MUSICIAN: Tony Kofi tells his amazing story

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• Government Coronavirus Restrictions

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Bill Shakespeare: First man in world to get approved Covid vaccine dies aged 81 - ITV News

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1. Bill Shakespeare: First man in world to get approved Covid vaccine dies aged 81  ITV News
2. First man in the world to get approved Covid vaccine dies at 81  Metro.co.uk
3. First man in world to get Covid jab - William Shakespeare - dies aged 81  Daily Star
4. Covid: Hong Kong could end up throwing away unused jabs  BBC News
5. Pfizer COVID vaccine can be stored for 1 month at refrigerator temperatures, FDA says  KEZI TV
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Tory Islamophobia inquiry: Former Conservative chair says report shows party 'institutionally racist' - Sky News

Former Conservative chair Baroness Warsi says a report into Tory Islamophobia shows the party is "institutionally racist" - despite the findings saying otherwise.

Baroness Warsi told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby in an exclusive interview: "I think the findings of this report show clearly that the Conservative Party is institutionally racist, that's based upon the definition of what is institutional racism.

"The way I see it - if it looks like institutional racism, feels like institutional racism, fits the definition of institutional racism - then, I'm afraid it is institutional racism."

Image: High-profile incidents involving Boris Johnson and Lord Goldsmith were highlighted in the report

Baroness Warsi, who campaigned for six years against Islamophobia in her party, said the independent report found examples of racism in the party's processes, attitudes and behaviour, which "satisfies the definition of institutional racism".

She also said while some of the recommendations "are good and should be implemented...I think we now need an independent Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) investigation because there are flaws to this report" - and said she will be referring the party to the commission.

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People who made complaints about Islamophobic behaviour have called her to say they were not given the opportunity to give evidence, she added.

Baroness Warsi also said she thinks Boris Johnson "accepts he is part of the problem and that he got it wrong in the past" and although his apology over comments about women in burqas was "mealy-mouthed", she said "we can move on from that".

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The inquiry was carried out by Professor Swaran Singh, a former equality and human rights commissioner, who found "anti-Muslim sentiment remains a problem within the party" but there is "no evidence" the party is institutionally racist.

Prof Singh examined 1,418 complaints relating to 727 separate incidents between 2015 and 2020, culminating in a 44,000-word report published on Tuesday.

He found two-thirds of all reported complaints to the Tories' headquarters related to allegations of anti-Muslim discrimination.

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June 2019 - Tory leadership rivals sign up to Islamophobia inquiry

The complaints included comments made by the prime minister about women in burqas when he was a journalist and Lord Goldsmith's London mayoral campaign linking opponent Sadiq Khan to Islamic extremists.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) welcomed Prof Singh's report but said it "does fall short of acknowledging the root causes of this bigotry" and also called for the EHRC to "determine whether any breaches of law have taken place".

Zara Mohammed, the MCB's secretary-general, said: "The investigation primarily deals with form over substance. Procedure is important, but it needs to be underpinned by dealing with the deep-seated issues of institutional racism. We hope that this is the starting point of the party's own self-reflection."

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Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend) described the report as a "whitewash", saying it failed to address the "pervasive climate of Islamophobia across the party...instead dismissing such issues as merely giving the 'impression' of Islamophobia - a conclusion that is little more than gaslighting".

Former chancellor Sajid Javid, who committed to holding an inquiry into Islamophobia in the 2019 Tory leadership election, said the investigation found "distressing examples of anti-Muslim sentiment at local association and individual levels, as well as serious shortcomings in the party's complaints process".

Conservative co-chairman Amanda Milling said the party accepted all the recommendations set out in Prof Singh's report.

"On behalf of the Conservative Party I would like to apologise to anyone who has been hurt by discriminatory behaviour of others or failed by our system," she added.

"We held this investigation to address these allegations to make sure that any instances of discrimination are isolated and to look at how we can improve and strengthen our complaints process.

"The Conservative Party will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination of any kind and take immediate action to improve our handling of complaints.

"It is clear that there have been failings in our complaints process and we will begin work on implementing the recommendations set out by the investigation."

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2021-05-25 18:07:24Z
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Covid UK: Councils in variant hotspots say there are no lockdowns - Metro.co.uk

New government advice said people should not travel in and out of eight hotspot areas (Picture: Getty)

The government has backtracked on its advice for people in Covid hotspots not to travel following outcry from local leaders and widespread confusion.

Ministers were accused of imposing ‘lockdowns by the backdoor’ after the Gov.uk website quietly changed its guidance for people living in the areas worst hit by the Indian strain.

New advice shared on Friday warned people against travelling in and out of Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

However, the changes were not publicised or communicated to local public health teams or councils, meaning it went unnoticed for days.

After outcry from local leaders on Tuesday, Downing Street said it would updated its advice to make it clear it is not imposing legally-binding local restrictions.

The update came after a joint statement from public health bosses in the eight areas affected told local residents the guidance could be ignored.

The statement said: ‘Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: There are no local lockdowns.’

Health chiefs say there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: (Picture: PA)

In areas where the Indian variant is spreading, they said they are ‘working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation’.

‘There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic,’ they added.

Shortly afterwards, The Department of Health and Social Care said guidance for the eight Covid-19 Indian variant hotspots is to be updated to ‘make it clearer’ it is only guidance and not law.

The government also changed the wording to say people in those areas should ‘minimise’ travel instead of ‘avoid’ travel.

A statement released on Tuesday evening said: ‘We will be updating the guidance for areas where the new COVID-19 variant is spreading to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions.

‘Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent.

‘This includes, wherever possible, trying to meet outdoors rather than indoors, keeping 2 metres apart from anyone you don’t live with and minimising travel in and out the area.

‘These are not new regulations but they are some of the ways everyone can help bring the variant under control in their local area.’

The eight Indian Covid variant hotspots where people were told to avoid travel

Earlier, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told the Commons people in those areas should avoid travelling in or out of those areas unless necessary, for work or education.

This was in line with the changes on the government’s website which said: ‘In the areas listed… wherever possible, you should try to meet outside rather than inside where possible; keep 2 metres apart from people that you don’t live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them), this includes friends and family you don’t live with; avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education.’

Downing Street had argued that the recommendations to the hotspot areas were first issued on May 14 – when Boris Johnson urged people to be ‘extra cautious’ – before being ‘formally’ published online on Friday.

No10 tried to play down the row by stressing that the guidance was ‘not statutory’ and that the government wanted to encourage the public ‘to exercise their good judgement’, rather than issuing ‘top-down edicts’.

But Tory and Labour politicians condemned the chaos caused by the update, which they first heard about from local journalists who spotted them on the government website. 

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said it was a ‘fairly major communications error’ which had caused ‘huge amounts of confusion’.

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Dominic Harrison, the director of public health for Blackburn with Darwen council, said he was ‘astonished’ they had not been informed while Labour MP for Bolton South East, Yasmin Quereshi, said she was ‘gobsmacked’ by the oversight.

Meanwhile shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth accused the government of imposing ‘local lockdowns by stealth, by the back door’.

At a press conference with other local leaders this afternoon, the Tory leader of Bolton Council David Greenhalgh said ministers had now clarified that there are no regional restrictions. 

He said: ‘As long as they follow the guidance I don’t believe residents in Bolton should be cancelling holidays.’

Officials in Leicester council also weighed in to urge residents to ignore the advice.

A council statement said: ‘We don’t have any evidence as to why people or businesses in Leicester should not continue to follow the existing national guidance.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2021-05-25 17:49:00Z
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