Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Crown Prosecution Service statement on Hillsborough

Former Ch Supt David Duckenfield faces 95 charges of manslaughter and five other senior figures will be prosecuted over the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

Mr Duckenfield was match commander at the FA Cup semi-final when 96 Liverpool fans were fatally injured in a crush.

Ex-South Yorkshire Police (SYP) Ch Insp Sir Norman Bettison, two officers, a solicitor and a Sheffield Wednesday club secretary also face charges.

Campaigners said the charges "send a message about accountability".

Last year, new inquests into the disaster at the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest match, held at Sheffield Wednesday's ground, concluded the fans had been unlawfully killed.

The inquests found that Liverpool supporters were not responsible for the dangerous situation at the Leppings Lane turnstiles.

For legal reasons, Mr Duckenfield cannot be charged over the death of the 96th victim, Tony Bland, as he died four years after the disaster, prosecutors said.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) must apply to the High Court to lift an order imposed after he was prosecuted privately in 1999, which must be removed before he can be charged.

An application will be made to the High Court in a matter of weeks and a senior judge will make a ruling in due course.

Image caption (Left to right, top to bottom) Sir Norman Bettison, Graham Mackrell, Peter Metcalf, Alan Foster and Donald Denton

The full list of individuals and charges are:

Mr Duckenfield, 72, faces manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 men, women and children

Sir Norman, 61, faces four charges of misconduct in a public office relating to alleged lies he told in the aftermath about the culpability of fans

Graham Mackrell, former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary, will be accused of breaching Health and Safety and Safety at Sports Ground legislation

Peter Metcalf, who was a solicitor acting for SYP, is charged with perverting the course of Justice, relating to changes to witness statements

Former Ch Supt Donald Denton and former Det Ch Insp Alan Foster are accused of perverting the course of justice

The six men charged over Hillsborough

Hillsborough: Criminal charges explained

The defendants, other than Mr Duckenfield, will appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on 9 August.

No organisation will face corporate charges and no-one from the ambulance service will be charged, said Sue Hemming, head of special crime and counter-terrorism at the CPS.

She explained that Sheffield Wednesday is now a "different company" and, as it is not a successor organisation, is not criminally liable for any offences that might have been committed in 1989.

Hillsborough investigations £56.5m cost of Operation Resolve £42m cost of IPCC investigation 17,000 lines of inquiry by Operation Resolve

11,000 statements taken by Operation Resolve

190,000 documents reviewed by IPCC investigation

23,000 images reviewed by IPCC investigation Getty Images

The CPS brought charges following referrals from the Operation Resolve investigation into the causes of the disaster and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) probe.

Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley, from Operation Resolve, said: "Our inquiry looked at all aspects of the event, including the planning and the preparation for the game, the safety of the stadium and the response by the emergency services."

Twelve individuals and three organisations were referred to the CPS by the Resolve team.

The IPCC investigated the conduct of both SYP and West Midlands Police (WMP) in the days and weeks afterwards.

Any decision regarding WMP, which was brought in to carry out the original investigation into the conduct of SYP officers, will be made at a later date.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Trevor Hicks and Margaret Aspinall spoke to reporters after the announcement

Ms Hemming made the announcement of the intended prosecutions to victims' families at a private meeting in Warrington earlier.

She said: "Following our careful review of the evidence, in accordance with the code for Crown prosecutors, I have decided that there is sufficient evidence to charge six individuals with criminal offences.

"Criminal proceedings have now commenced and the defendants have a right to a fair trial."

'We need peace'

Campaigner Trevor Hicks, whose daughters Victoria, 15, and Sarah, 19, died in the disaster, said: "There will be six people facing criminal charges who might not have done if we hadn't been resilient and all stuck together and fought this long fight.

"There are no winners in this, it doesn't bring anybody back.

"What it does do is send a message about accountability, as we keep saying, that nobody but nobody is above the law; be it the police or anybody else."

Chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Margaret Aspinall, whose son James, 18, was killed, said: "This is definitely the start of the end.

"I think everybody needs that, I think we all need peace from Hillsborough but we can never have peace until we've got truth, justice, accountability.

"I think that's the time we'll all have peace."

Image copyright PA Image caption Barry Devonside leaving Parr Hall in Warrington after the charges were announced

Barry Devonside, whose son Christopher, 18, was killed in the disaster, said: "Everybody applauded when it was announced that the most senior police officer on that particular day will have charges presented to him."

Evelyn McDonnell Mills, whose brother Peter McDonnell, 21, died, said she was "really happy", but sad that her brother who campaigned for years and died during the new inquests never got to see their conclusion.

Image copyright PA Image caption Relatives hugged and wiped away tears after the CPS announced its decision to charge six individuals

Pete Weatherby QC, who represents 22 of the victims' families, said they had "always known that accountability is the most difficult objective".

"They remain keen to see the criminal process properly pursued for those who have been charged... [and] hope that the memories of their loved ones and the integrity of the fans who attended Hillsborough will be respected during the process."

Lawyer Marcia Willis-Stewart, speaking on behalf other families, said: "The families are sensitive to the issues of fairness and due process and no-one wishes to prejudice or to jeopardise it.

"There are of course various legal options open to the families where decisions have been made not to prosecute, in the form of the victim and judicial review process."

Who were the 96 victims?

Image caption Inquests into the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium concluded the fans had been unlawfully killed

BBC News profiles of all those who died

At Prime Minister's Questions, Theresa May said: "I know from working closely with the families when I was home secretary that this will be a day of mixed emotions for them."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn offered a "tribute to all of those that spent a great deal of time trying to ensure there was justice for those that died at Hillsborough".

Sir Norman has said he is "disappointed to be charged" and will "vigorously defend" his innocence.

Mr Duckenfield and Mr Denton's legal representative Ian Lewis, from JMW Solicitors said "it would be inappropriate for me as their solicitor, or for my clients themselves, to make any comment".

Mr Metcalf declined to comment.

Dr Alan Billings, the South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner, said he hoped the start of criminal proceedings would "lead to a measure of closure for the family members who have experienced a long and traumatic process".

Sheffield Wednesday said the club had no comment to make.</s>Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield, former chief constable Sir Norman Bettison and four other individuals have been charged with offences relating to the Hillsborough disaster, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Sue Hemming, head of the special crime and counter-terrorism division, said Duckenfield has been charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the 96 Liverpool FC fans who died at the FA Cup semi-final in 1989 and Bettison is accused of four counts of misconduct in public office.

Former South Yorkshire Police officers Donald Denton and Alan Foster, as well as force solicitor Peter Metcalf, are charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of justice, and former Sheffield Wednesday secretary Graham Mackrell is charged with three offences relating to health and safety and safety at sports grounds.

Ms Hemming said a further file from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) on the conduct of West Midlands Police still needs "additional investigative work".

She added: "Additionally, just this week, the IPCC has referred two further suspects which are unconnected to the matters sent to us in January; these subjects are subject to ongoing consideration by the CPS. We will announce our decisions in due course.

"The suspects referred to the CPS included individuals and organisations.

"Following these thorough investigations and our careful review of the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, I have decided there is sufficient evidence to charge six individuals with criminal offences."

All the defendants, except Duckenfield, will appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on August 8.

Duckenfield was not at home at his bungalow in Ferndown, Dorset, when the charges were announced.</s>LONDON (AP) UK prosecutors charge ranking police officer at Hillsborough stadium disaster with manslaughter by gross negligence.</s>The six people charged over the Hillsborough disaster include the Match Commander for South Yorkshire Police and a lawyer who helped the force in the aftermath of the tragedy that resulted in 96 deaths.

Operation Resolve, which investigated the causes of the 1989 disaster, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) passed files of evidence relating to 23 suspects, including individuals and organisations, to the Crown Prosecution Service earlier this year.

Of these, 15 suspects related to Operation Resolve’s investigation into the causes of the disaster. A further eight individuals related to the IPCC’s independent investigation into both South Yorkshire Police and West Midlands Police and the alleged cover-up of the disaster.

On Wednesday, shortly before midday, the CPS announced six people had been charged.

David Duckenfield, who was the Match Commander for South Yorkshire Police on the day of the disaster, has been charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the 96 disaster victims, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

He cannot be charged with the manslaughter of Anthony Bland, the 96th casualty of the disaster, because he died four years after the tragedy.

Donald Denton, the former Chief Superintendent with South Yorkshire Police has been charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of justice.

As does, Peter Metcalf, the solicitor acting for the South Yorkshire Police during the Taylor Inquiry and the first inquests.

Former Sheffield Wednesday secretary Graham Mackrell is charged with three offences relating to health and safety at sports grounds.

The defendants, other than Duckenfield, will appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 9 August 2017. The police need to apply to the High Court to remove a stay, in place since 1995, to take him to court.</s>Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the 96 disaster victims, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Former Merseyside and West Yorkshire chief constable Sir Norman Bettison has been also been charged, with four counts of misconduct in a public office following investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.

Sue Hemming, the CPS Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division confirmed: “I have found that there is sufficient evidence to charge former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was the Match Commander on the day of the disaster, with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 men, women and children.”

Charges have also been brought against Graham Henry Mackrell , who was Sheffield Wednesday Football Club’s company secretary and safety officer at the time of the disaster in 1989, Peter Metcalf , the solicitor acting for the South Yorkshire Police during the Taylor Inquiry and the first inquests, f ormer Chief Superintendent Donald Denton of South Yorkshire Police and former Detective Chief Inspector Alan Foster of South Yorkshire Police.

Families of Hillsborough victims to learn if anyone will face charges

Sue Hemming added: “We will allege that David Duckenfield’s failures to discharge his personal responsibility were extraordinarily bad and contributed substantially to the deaths of each of those 96 people who so tragically and unnecessarily lost their lives.

“The offence clearly sets out the basis of those allegations.

“We are unable to charge the manslaughter of Anthony Bland, the 96th casualty, as he died almost four years later.

“The law as it applied then provided that no person could be guilty of homicide where the death occurred more than a year and a day later than the date when the injuries were caused.

“In order to prosecute this matter, the CPS will need to successfully apply to remove the stay imposed by a senior judge (now retired) at the end of the 1999 private prosecution when David Duckenfield was prosecuted for two counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

“We will be applying to a High Court Judge to lift the stay and order that the case can proceed on a voluntary bill of indictment.”

Ms Hemming said a further file from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) on the conduct of West Midlands Police still needs "additional investigative work".

She added: "Additionally, just this week, the IPCC has referred two further suspects which are unconnected to the matters sent to us in January; these subjects are subject to ongoing consideration by the CPS. We will announce our decisions in due course.

"The suspects referred to the CPS included individuals and organisations.

"Following these thorough investigations and our careful review of the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, I have decided there is sufficient evidence to charge six individuals with criminal offences."

All the defendants, except Duckenfield, will appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on August 8.</s>Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield, former chief constable Sir Norman Bettison and four other individuals have been charged with offences relating to the Hillsborough disaster, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Sue Hemming, head of the special crime and counter-terrorism division, said Duckenfield has been charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the 96 Liverpool FC fans who died at the FA Cup semi-final in 1989 and Bettison is accused of four counts of misconduct in public office.

Former South Yorkshire Police officers Donald Denton and Alan Foster, as well as force solicitor Peter Metcalf, are charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of justice, and former Sheffield Wednesday secretary Graham Mackrell is charged with three offences relating to health and safety and safety at sports grounds.

Sue Hemming, the CPS Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division confirms: “I have found that there is sufficient evidence to charge former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was the Match Commander on the day of the disaster, with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 men, women and children.”

Ms Hemming added: “We will allege that David Duckenfield’s failures to discharge his personal responsibility were extraordinarily bad and contributed substantially to the deaths of each of those 96 people who so tragically and unnecessarily lost their lives.

“The offence clearly sets out the basis of those allegations.

“We are unable to charge the manslaughter of Anthony Bland, the 96th casualty, as he died almost four years later.

“The law as it applied then provided that no person could be guilty of homicide where the death occurred more than a year and a day later than the date when the injuries were caused.

“In order to prosecute this matter, the CPS will need to successfully apply to remove the stay imposed by a senior judge (now retired) at the end of the 1999 private prosecution when David Duckenfield was prosecuted for two counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

“We will be applying to a High Court Judge to lift the stay and order that the case can proceed on a voluntary bill of indictment.”

The defendants, other than David Duckenfield, will appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 9 August 2017.</s>Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield, former chief constable Sir Norman Bettison and four other individuals have been charged with offences relating to the Hillsborough disaster, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Sue Hemming, head of the special crime and counter-terrorism division, said Duckenfield has been charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the 96 Liverpool FC fans who died at the FA Cup semi-final in 1989 and Bettison is accused of four counts of misconduct in public office.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Salisbury Journal.</s>Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield, former chief constable Sir Norman Bettison and four other people have been charged with offences relating to the Hillsborough disaster.

The Crown Prosecution Service announced on Wednesday morning that Duckenfield has been charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the 96 Liverpool FC fans who died at the FA Cup semi-final in 1989 and Bettison is accused of four counts of misconduct in public office.

Sue Hemming, head of the CPS's special crime and counter-terrorism division, said former South Yorkshire Police officers Donald Denton and Alan Foster, as well as force solicitor Peter Metcalf, are charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of justice, and former Sheffield Wednesday secretary Graham Mackrell is charged with three offences relating to health and safety at sports grounds.</s>Four former senior policemen were among six people charged yesterday over the Hillsborough stadium disaster on April 15, 1989 that killed 96 Liverpool fans in an FA Cup semi-final between Sheffield Wednesday and Liverpool.

Former police officer David Duckenfield, who was the match commander, was charged with "manslaughter by gross negligence".

Three other police officers, along with solicitor Peter Metcalf, were also charged.

Graham Mackrell, former secretary at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, whose Hillsborough ground hosted the match, faces three charges over safety failings at the stadium.</s>Six individuals, including four former members of the South Yorkshire Police (SYP), have been charged over the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 which left 96 Liverpool fans dead.

Former SYP Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was the match commander of the FA Cup semifinal which saw 96 fans crushed to death, will face charges of manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the victims. For legal reasons Duckenfield has not been charged over the death of the 96th victim, Tony Bland, who died four years after the tragedy.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) must apply to the High Court to lift an order imposed on Duckenfield after he was prosecuted privately in 1999. That must be removed before he can be charged with 95 cases of manslaughter.

Families of the victims gathered in Warrington, England on Wednesday and were told about the charges by the CPS, who later released the following statement.

Other individuals who will be prosecuted include the former Chief Constable of Merseyside and West Yorkshire police, Sir Norman Bettison, who is facing four charges misconduct in office following the disaster, while former SYP Chief Superintendent Donald Denton and SYP Detective Chief Inspector Alan Foster have both been charged with perverting the course of justice.

Former Sheffield Wednesday chief executive and designated safety officer Graham Mackrell has been charged with breaching the terms of the stadium’s safety certificate and failing to take reasonable care under the the Health and Safety at Work act, plus SYP solicitor, Peter Metcalf, has also been charged.

The families of those who perished at the Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough over 28 years ago have fought for justice ever since with Liverpool Football Club and the wider soccer community supporting the families in their battle.

From 1991 until 2014 they struggled to cope with the cost of a lengthy legal battle, but that all changed as the UK government have funded the legal costs for all the victims families with the total investigation now spanning four-and-a-half years and costing over $128.2 million.

Last April a verdict of “unlawful killing” was reached for the 96 victims after a new inquest was launched into the deaths following the original verdict from 1991 being quashed by the High Court in 2012 after a report from the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

The new inquest then prompted a new police criminal investigation as Operation Resolve was set up to determine what led up to the deadly crush, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) then investigated what happened after the tragedy and allegations that SYP had perverted the court of justice and tried to cover up their own responsibility.

The defendants, apart from Duckenfield, will appear in Warrington Magistrates Court on Aug. 9.
Six people are charged with various offences including manslaughter by gross negligence following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.