Hillsborough charges dropped against police chief

Preston - Prosecutors say a former police chief who was charged with lying about his involvement in the aftermath of the Hillsborough Stadium tragedy in 1989 will no longer face trial.

Norman Bettison, who was chief inspector of the region where Britain's worst sports disaster took place, had been charged with four counts of misconduct while in public office.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service says proceedings against Bettison have been dropped because of developments in the available evidence, which "means there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction."

Bettison had been due to face trial next year.

Five other men are to face trial next year for offenses related to the disaster in which 96 people died following a crush in a standing-only section of Hillsborough as it staged an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.