A top policeman told his officers to ‘go away and gather evidence’ so they could blame drunken fans for the Hillsborough disaster, a court has heard. Former inspector Clive Davis claimed police were ordered to look for beer cans by the side of a motorway and talk to locals, off licence owners and pub landlords about the behaviour of Liverpool supporters at a ‘call to arms’ meeting of top brass just two days after the tragedy. He said Chief Superintendent Terry Wain, who lead the briefing at the headquarters of South Yorkshire police, told his officers: ‘We are going to put the blame for this disaster where it belongs: on the drunken, ticketless Liverpool fans.’ Ninety-six Liverpool fans died from the crush at the Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium as the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest got under way . Mr Davis, who was giving evidence at the new inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool supporters, later took part in a Panorama programme for the BBC in which he likened the culture of the force in April 1989 to a ‘Tudor Court.’ The hearing was told that Chief Constable Peter Wright was a strict disciplinarian, an all-powerful Henry VIII figure, running his own ‘Wolf Hall’ where mistakes were never admitted or allowed to enter the public domain. Mr Davis said Mr Wright could make or break careers – helping further the prospects of those who did his bidding and stifling the development of those he didn’t approve of. He said there was no doubt Chief Superintendent Wain, whose briefing he described as the start of the police ‘fight-back,’ was acting on the orders of Chief Constable Wright and had been simply ‘given a job to do.’ Former inspector Clive Davis claimed police were ordered to look for beer cans by the side of a motorway in the days after the tragedy . Mr Davis said he was told by his boss to attend the meeting, on the Monday morning after the abandoned FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, because it would be a good way to get noticed ‘career-wise.’ He said Chief Inspector Norman Bettison, who was his superior, told him the disaster was ‘the biggest thing to happen in South Yorkshire Police’ and it would benefit them ‘to be a part of what was going to happen in the wake of it.’ The inquest heard that then Chief Inspector Norman Bettison, pictured said the disaster was ‘the biggest thing to happen in South Yorkshire Police’ But the jury were told that senior officers disputed that the meeting, on April 17 1989, ever took place. No documents or minutes of the ‘jaw-dropping’ briefing, supposedly held on the fifth floor of South Yorkshire police headquarters, in Sheffield, have ever been found. Mr Davis, who retired from the force in 2006, admitted he kept quiet about the meeting because he would have "become the problem’ and forced to leave his job. But after hearing senior officers continue to blame fans, following the publication of Hillsborough Independent Panel report in September 2012, he finally decided to act. Mr Davis said he contacted relatives of those who died via the Hillsborough Family Support Group and also agreed to talk about the meeting for a BBC Panorama programme the following year. Referring to what he heard at the briefing, on April 17 1989, Mr Davis said he was left ‘more perplexed’ than ‘outraged’ because it seemed very early to come to a ‘decisive, definitive conclusion’ about what had happened. Cross-examined by Chris Daw QC, representing retired Chief Superintendents Terry Wain and Donald Denton, Mr Davis was accused of telling ‘bare-faced lies.’ But he remained adamant the meeting happened and that he had no problem saying so on oath. The hearing continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Former officer tells inquest police chief said they were to 'blame the fans'
Clive Davis says officers were told this by Chief Superintendent Terry Wain . Claimed they were ordered to look for beer cans at the side of a motorway . Added they were told to talk to locals about the behaviour of supporters . Told the inquest a meeting of officers took place two days after tragedy . But senior officers disputed that the meeting was ever held in April 1989 . New inquests are taking place into the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans . They died in a crush at Hillsborough stadium during an FA Cup semi-final .