Hillsborough Untold: Aftermath of a Disaster

On 15 April 1989, ninety-six spectators lost their lives at Sheffield’s Hillsborough Stadium as they gathered for an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest football clubs. The events that day sparked a controversy that continues to reverberate through British football and policing. Norman Bettison was a Chief Inspector in the South Yorkshire Police at the time of the Hillsborough disaster, and witnessed the tragedy as a spectator at the match. Bettison has since found himself one of the focal points of outrage over the actions of the police. Comments he made in the wake of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012 stoked further criticism in the press and in Parliament and, in October 2012, he resigned from his job as Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police. This personal account describes how the Hillsborough disaster unfolded; provides an insight into what was happening at South Yorkshire Police headquarters in the aftermath; and gives an objective and compassionate account of the bereaved families’ long struggle for justice. The author is clear that the Hillsborough families have deserved answers as to why and how the ninety-six died.This book seeks respectfully to explain, however, why he feels he has been unfairly scapegoated in Parliament and through print, broadcast and, significantly, social media, and why that may have distracted from the inquiry’s aims.This book will to add to the knowledge about Hillsborough, addressing current narratives about the disaster and its aftermath.The author will be donating his proceeds from sales of the book to charity.