The response of SYP officers to allegations of a cover-up

The allegation that there was a deliberate attempt to blame supporters for the disaster was repeatedly raised during the Goldring Inquests. Several former senior SYP officers were asked by barristers representing some of the families whether their actions in the aftermath of the disaster had been part of a cover-up. While some accepted that, in hindsight, certain actions were hard to justify, and in some cases even acknowledged that SYP had been on the defensive, all denied that they were involved in a deliberate cover-up of any form.
Ch Supt Duckenfield was asked if his lie was the start of a cover-up; he said no. Ch Insp Beal was directly accused of being a key figure in a police cover-up—an accusation he strongly rejected.
DCC Hayes was asked: “It is right, isn't it, that in preparing for the inquests in particular, officers under your command were trying to raise the profile of evidence which blamed the fans?” He replied: “Yes, I think that’s true.” He later reframed this as SYP trying to draw attention to evidence that involved supporters, rather than blamed them. He also rejected the suggestion this amounted to a cover-up.
Ch Supt Wain was asked about a memo he had written, in which he instructed DI Cleverly to “interrogate the system” to identify the officers who could give the best evidence about “Unruly behaviour by Liverpool fans” and high levels of alcohol consumption. He responded that he was “shocked” to see it and, when the barrister described it as “clear evidence of an attempt to denigrate the fans”, Ch Supt Wain replied: “I must agree with you.”