Files detailing police cover ups over the Hillsborough disaster were given to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) 14 years ago, it has been claimed. Alun Jones QC led a private prosecution for manslaughter against senior police officers who were in charge when 96 Liverpool fans died in April 1989. Mr Jones said the CPS needed to explain why it did "absolutely nothing". A report published on Wednesday laid bare a police cover-up which attempted to shift the blame on to the victims. Writing in the Independent newspaper, Mr Jones said the Hillsborough Family Support Group launched the private prosecution of Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield and his deputy Bernard Murray because of the Director of Public Prosecutions's (DPP) failure to act. Mr Jones wrote in the newspaper: "We furnished the DPP, and Attorney General, with an analysis demonstrating the gravity of the conspiracy, but also proving that critical evidence of non-police witnesses had been withheld from the DPP and coroner in 1990. "We showed how the tampering exercise was organised. I was clear that crimes of perverting the course of justice had been committed, but not by whom, and it was beyond the power of the families to investigate." The prosecution failed in 2000. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman told the paper: "The Crown Prosecution Service was approached in 1998 by both parties to the private prosecution and asked to take it over. Sir Norman Bettison: "Welcomes" IPCC inquiry "At the time we concluded we would not intervene and the private prosecution went ahead. "We provided documentation to the Hillsborough Independent Panel about the reasons behind this decision in 1998 and the panel has made no criticism of the CPS or the DPP over this." Flags half-mast Meanwhile, a complaint against a senior police officer involved in the disaster, Sir Norman Bettison, has been referred to the police watchdog. The decision to refer a complaint involving West Yorkshire Chief Constable Sir Norman to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was taken at a meeting on Saturday of the police authority's special committee. Chairman of the special Committee Richard Baldwin said: "It is important the facts are fully established and evidence considered from other sources before any further decisions are taken. "The IPCC, as an independent body with a statutory duty to uphold the police complaints system, is best placed to conduct such investigations." Sir Norman, who was with South Yorkshire police at the time of Hillsborough, said he welcomed the step and added: "It is time this moved into a more formal and legal inquiry, where it can be considered, analysed and fully assessed." On Friday he apologised for any upset caused by his statement Liverpool fans' behaviour made policing at the Hillsborough tragedy "harder than it needed to be". He said his role was never to "besmirch" the fans and said the Reds' supporters were in no way to blame for the disaster. Flags at Sunderland's Stadium of Light will fly at half-mast later as a mark of respect to those who died at Hillsborough. The home side take on Liverpool in the club's first match since the findings of the Hillsborough panel were released. Both teams are expected to wear black armbands and there has also been a call for a minute's applause six minutes into the game. - Winckel

If you're not familiar with this case, about 100 people died at a football and the police and others blamed the supporters and some of the victims; it looks very likely indeed that the police committed fraud and perjury in order to escape blame and I leave it to readers to ask themselves how this reflects on the police in general and specifically on the police forces involved. - Winckel

And it might be just the tip of a much bigger iceberg. - M F

The previous failure of the authorities to uncover the extent of the police cover-up conspiracy makes one wonder just how hard they tried at the time... - Son of Groucho

Let me guess, not very hard? - M F