Hillsborough: Trio deny charges in Hillsborough aftermath trial

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image captionDonald Denton, Alan Foster and Peter Metcalf are facing a trial sitting in Salford

Two former police officers and a solicitor have pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice following the Hillsborough disaster.

Retired South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent Donald Denton, 83, and Alan Foster, 74, a retired detective chief inspector, will be tried with ex-force solicitor Peter Metcalf, 71.

The charges followed an inquiry by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The trial is sitting at the Nightingale court at the Lowry theatre in Salford.

The defendants stood in the stalls of the theatre, converted into a temporary courtroom, to enter their pleas while judge Mr Justice William Davis sat on the stage

They are each charged with two counts of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice, relating to the amendment of police officers' statements.

It follows the IOPC's investigation into the actions of the police following the 1989 disaster.

Ninety-six football fans died as a result of a crush at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

The trial has been listed for 16 weeks.

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