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Hillsborough Book won’t be sold in Merseyside Waterstone’s

By October 14, 2016New Releases, News

The Hillsborough tragedy of 1986 is one that remains raw in the hearts and minds of many people and especially those who live in Merseyside; the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans and the subsequent mishandling of the investigation into their deaths has left the city scarred with many families only finding peace after the 2016 inquest into their loved ones’ deaths absolved them of any culpability.

Now it appears that a book might undo all of the good work that recent inquiries have done.

One of the key players in the event and its aftermath is Norman Bettison who was at the time of the tragedy a chief inspector in the South Yorkshire force and he has released a book giving his personal account on the disaster. Biteback Publishing, which has acquired the “world rights” to the book Set to be released on November 17th and available for pre-order through Amazon and Waterstone’s, say that it “describes how the Hillsborough disaster unfolded; provides an insight into what was happening at South Yorkshire Police headquarters in the aftermath; and gives an objective and compassionate account of the bereaved families’ long struggle for justice” and Waterstone’s website states that in the book Bettison “seeks respectfully to explain, however, why he feels he has been unfairly scapegoated in Parliament and through print, broadcast and, significantly, social media, and why that may have distracted from the inquiry’s aims.”



However Sheila Coleman, of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign believes that Bettison’s decision to publish before the inquiries were completed was “wholly inappropriate” Adding that “I think the idea that it would be sympathetic to families and survivors is totally disingenuous.This is the man who, after Hillsborough, went on to become chief constable of Merseyside in the face of great opposition. He has never been sympathetic.” Continuing she says “The fact he is willing and, indeed, enthusiastic about publishing a book just shows the man has the skin of a rhinoceros.” Coleman does not pull any punches with her view on the author of a book that is bound to cause heartache among the Merseyside community

Defending his decision to write his account of the tragedy Bettison has said

“I wrote this account because I did not want my forty-year professional career to be defined by false accusations. The book should appeal to anyone with an open mind who remains curious about one of the UK’s most tragic, and controversial, peacetime disasters.”

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Although the book is available for pre-order through Waterstone’s website they have stated that they will not carry the book in any of their Merseyside stores as a mark of respect to the victims of Hillsborough and their surviving family members, it is currently unclear if other Bookstores will follow suit.



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