Hillsborough disaster: Investigation reveals 12 police officers may have faced serious misconduct charges

Twelve police officers are believed to have faced proceedings for serious misconduct during and after the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium tragedy, a long-running investigation has revealed.

In the latest development after Britain’s worst sporting disaster, which saw 97 people killed in a crush on Liverpool fans, a report – published on Tuesday – also confirmed cases of misconduct in 92 complaints about police conduct.

However, the law at the time meant that none of the officers would face disciplinary proceedings as they had all retired before the investigation began in 2012.

The Hillsborough disaster occurred on April 15, 1989, when more than 2,000 Liverpool fans were allowed to crowd into a standing section behind a goal at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. The 54,000 capacity stadium was already almost full for the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. The victims were smashed or trampled against metal fences, and many suffocated.

An original 1991 investigation found the deaths were accidental, which the victims’ families refused to accept. These findings were overturned in 2012 after a far-reaching investigation into the disaster, which examined previously classified documents and exposed police misconduct and errors. In 2016, a jury found that the victims had been «wrongfully murdered.»

The Independent Office for Police Conduct began an investigation into the tragedy in 2012. The conclusions in the report published on Tuesday were described by some relatives as ‘another bitter injustice’.

“This outcome may vindicate the relatives and survivors who fought for decades to uncover the truth – but it does not deliver justice,” said lawyer Nicola Brook, who represents several families. “Instead, it exposes a system that allows officers to simply walk away and retire without oversight, sanctions or consequences for failing to meet the standards the public has a right to expect.

“Yes, the law has now changed, so this loophole cannot be used in the future. But for those affected by this case, that is no consolation. They are left with yet another bitter injustice: the truth is finally acknowledged, but responsibility is denied.”

When hooliganism became rife in English football in the 1980s, there were immediate attempts to blame the Liverpool fans and defend the police operation. A false narrative blaming drunk, ticketless and rowdy Liverpool fans was created by the police and could only be reversed by campaigning by the bereaved.

Among those who would have faced charges of gross misconduct if still in service were Peter Wright, the then chief constable of South Yorkshire Police who died in 2011, and David Duckenfield, the match commander.

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Those who worked on the investigation said the victims, their families and survivors were repeatedly abandoned.

“Firstly,” said IOPC Deputy Director General Kathie Cashell, “by the utter complacency of South Yorkshire Police in preparing for the match, followed by its fundamental failure to contain the disaster as it unfolded, and then by the force’s concerted efforts to shift the blame to Liverpool supporters, causing enormous distress to the bereaved and surviving for almost four decades.

“They were once again let down by the inexplicably limited investigation into the disaster by West Midlands Police, which was a missed opportunity to expose these failings much earlier.”

Two West Midlands officers who led the investigation into the disaster – Mervyn Jones, who was assistant chief constable, and then chief inspector Michael Foster – were referred to prosecutors for their failings, but the threshold for prosecution was found not to have been met, the report said.

The IOPC said both former officers should be charged with gross misconduct after failing to conduct a rigorous investigation because they were “biased against the force and supporters.”

Duckenfield, who is now 81 years old and was a chief inspector on the day of the tragedy, was acquitted of manslaughter by gross negligence by a jury in 2019. The IOPC report said he “froze in the crisis” and felt he had to answer for gross misconduct over 10 allegations, including failing to respond and telling FA officials – in what he later acknowledged was a lie – that fans had invaded.

The only person convicted as a result of the investigation following the tragedy was former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell, who was fined £6,500 (now $8,500) and ordered to pay £5,000 (now $6,600) in costs after being found guilty of failing to ensure the health and safety of fans arriving at the ground. Hillsborough is home to Wednesday.

Published on December 2, 2025