Hillsborough trial: PC 'pressured to sign changed account'

Alan Foster, Donald Denton and Peter Metcalf each deny perverting the course of justice

A retired officer said he assumed his Hillsborough statement would be "magicked away" if he refused to sign an amended copy, a court has heard.

Two retired officers and an ex-police solicitor are on trial accused of amending statements to "mask failings".

Maxwell Groome told investigators in 2014 that he was asked to write up an account of what had happened.

Mr Groome said he had visits from officers asking him to sign an amended version but he initially refused.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died as a result of the 1989 stadium crush.

Retired Det Ch Insp Alan Foster, 74, retired Ch Supt Donald Denton, 83, and former solicitor Peter Metcalf, 71, are accused of amending police statements to minimise the blame on South Yorkshire Police.

On 30 May, 1989, Mr Groome said he was called to police headquarters to see Mr Foster, who went through his statement crossing parts out and making comments such as "you can't say that because it is criticising the chain of command".

He said the senior officer told him that if he did not change the statement it would not be used by the coroner's court or the public inquiry, led by Lord Justice Taylor.

He said: "I assumed my account would be magicked away or disappear in a box never to see the light of day again if I hadn't changed it."

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died as a result of the disaster on 15 April 1989.

Mr Groome, who has since died, said in the statement to investigators that he was "fed up of being badgered" so he agreed to sign the new statement.

He added: "I wasn't threatened personally by Det Ch Insp Foster but I did feel pressured. I wanted to make sure my account was heard."

The court heard Mr Metcalf, a partner in law firm Hammond Suddards who acted for the force, drafted a template statement for four officers.

Sarah Whitehouse QC, prosecuting, said Mr Metcalf asked if the three inspectors and a chief inspector could be asked to review evidence they gave to the Taylor Inquiry, in which they all conceded police had a duty to monitor numbers on the Leppings Lane terrace, where the fatal crush happened.

In a letter to Deputy Chief Constable Peter Hayes, sent ahead of contribution hearings held in 1990 to determine what damages should be paid, Mr Metcalf asked for officers to give new statements, if they believed they could explain what had previously been said.

The court heard the solicitor drafted a template which said: "The transcript gives a misleading impression of what I understand to have been the position in relation to the control of numbers entering individual pens on the Leppings Lane terraces on 15 April, 1989."

It went on to say they did not expect any police officer to be making assessments of numbers in the pens.

Ms Whitehouse said all the officers stood by the evidence they had given to the inquiry so no new statements were prepared.

The prosecution allege Mr Metcalf was seeking to put words into the mouths of the officers.

Mr Denton, of Bents Drive, Sheffield, Mr Foster, of Rossett Avenue, Harrogate, and Mr Metcalf, of Cragg Drive, Ilkley, each deny two counts of perverting the course of justice.

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