Hillsborough charges against Sir Norman Bettison dropped

He had faced four counts of misconduct in a public office

The former chief inspector of South Yorkshire Police has had all charges against him dropped after being accused of blaming Liverpool fans for the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 people were killed. Sir Norman Bettison was charged last year of four counts of misconduct in a public office for alleged lies he made in the wake of the tragedy. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now said insufficient evidence meant it would be unable to secure a conviction. The decision came after Bettison made an application for the charges to be dismissed, with the news confirmed at a hearing at Preston Crown Court. The CPS said the evidence of two witnesses had changed, and a third had died. In a statement the Hillsborough Family Support Group said: "We have grave concerns about the handling of this case by the CPS and can confirm that we will be exercising our right to an independent review under the Right to Review scheme. "It is our view that the wrong charge was brought in the first place and we will be using the review process to argue this point strongly. "We know how our supporters will feel about this decision and, of course, we all share all of those feelings." Five others, including match commander David Duckenfield are due to face trial next year. Duckenfield is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 fans.