Hillsborough survivors call for former Chief Constable Norman Bettison to lose knighthood - The Mirror

It comes after a damning report said he would have faced gross negligence charges over the 1989 disaster which claimed 97 lives

Hillsborough survivors have launched a petition calling for former Merseyside Chief Constable Norman Bettison to be stripped of his knighthood.

It comes after a damning report said he would have faced gross negligence charges over the 1989 disaster which claimed 97 lives. The Independent Office for Police Conduct's £150 million investigation found 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings for "fundamental failures" on the day and "concerted efforts" to blame fans in the aftermath.

The IOPC report said the case against Bettison - who was a chief inspector in Yorkshire at the time - would have centred on allegations he was deliberately dishonest about his involvement in the disaster during his application for, and appointment to, the top police role with Merseyside Police in 1998. He was also accused of giving misleading press statements.

The tragedy happened as Liverpool faced Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final on April 15, 1989. Police opened an exit gate to the ground to alleviate crowding outside the Sheffield Wednesday stadium. They failed to direct supporters away from the tunnel leading to the central pens where the crush happened.

As people lay dying South Yorkshire Police were smearing the Liverpool supporters, saying they caused the disaster as they arrived in huge numbers late, drunk and without tickets.

After decades of campaigning by the families those claims have been proven untrue. The Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance is now urging people to back calls to strip Bettison of his knighthood and the Queen's Policing Medal.

Their petition says: "On 15 April 1989, the Hillsborough disaster unfolded - a tragedy that claimed the lives of 97 innocent Liverpool fans, forever scarring the families and communities of those affected. For years, those who bore witness have been painfully aware of t