Hillsborough: Trio deny charges in disaster aftermath trial
- Published
(L-R) Donald Denton, Alan Foster and Peter Metcalf are facing a trial sitting in Salford
Two former police officers and a solicitor have pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice following the Hillsborough disaster.
Retired South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent Donald Denton, 83, and Alan Foster, 74, a retired detective chief inspector, will be tried with ex-force solicitor Peter Metcalf, 71.
The charges followed an inquiry by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The trial is sitting at the Nightingale court at the Lowry theatre in Salford.
The defendants stood in the stalls of the theatre, converted into a temporary courtroom, to enter their pleas while judge Mr Justice William Davis sat on the stage.
They are each charged with two counts of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice, relating to the amendment of police officers' statements.
It follows the IOPC's investigation into the actions of the police following the 1989 disaster.
'Think carefully'
Ninety-six football fans died as a result of a crush at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
A panel of 18 potential jurors have been selected after completing a questionnaire and they are expected to be sworn in on Tuesday.
The judge told the panel he was giving them the night to "think carefully" about whether they would be able to sit on the trial, which he said was expected to finish at the end of June but could last until the end of July.
He said on Tuesday, 12 jurors would be selected from the 18 as well as two others who would play a part in some of the trial.
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