The HIP had found documents that indicated a PNC check had been conducted on a person who made a claim for compensation after the disaster. In its report, the HIP raised the concern that more such checks may have been conducted. The IOPC examined the circumstances around this and sought to establish if any similar checks had been made.
The disclosed documents showed that solicitors acting on behalf of SYP wrote to CC Wells on 2 March 1995 to request details of the criminal records of a Liverpool supporter who had claimed compensation for loss of earnings as a result of the disaster. The request was fulfilled by an inspector who was part of the SYP CRO on 15 March 1995 and appears to have resulted in a complaint from the solicitor representing the claimant. A subsequent SYP note indicated that the matter was resolved between the two sets of solicitors, and no further action was required.
In the circumstances, there is no evidence to suggest that this check was carried out inappropriately.
IOPC investigators carried out a comprehensive search of the archived material available to the investigations to establish whether any form of check was conducted on any other individual who made a claim for compensation. Only one was found.
This took place in April 1989, just days after the disaster. It followed the receipt on 18 April 1989 of a claim for compensation against SYP and SWFC for injuries sustained. A document showed that both a PNC check and a CRO check were conducted on the claimant. The document did not explain why these checks were carried out or why a printout of the record was added to the claim file.
While it is possible that further records have been legitimately destroyed in line with retention policies, there is no other evidence to suggest that there was a decision or intention to conduct PNC checks on survivors of the disaster.
