The Independent Office for Police Conduct has spent 13 years carrying out the largest ever independent investigation into alleged police misconduct and criminality.

Its report identified a dozen officers - including the then-chief constable of South Yorkshire Police - who would have had a case to answer for gross misconduct had they still been serving. A 13th officer would have potentially faced a misconduct case.

Hillsborough remains to this day the worst disaster in British sporting history.

A crush on the terraces during the FA Cup semi-final at the stadium in Sheffield resulted in the death of 97 Liverpool fans on April 15 1989.

The men, women and children were aged from 10 to 67.

'A source of national shame'

What the victims' families have endured ever since, said IOPC deputy director general Kathie Cashell, was "a source of national shame".

Ms Cashell said: "The 97 people who were unlawfully killed, their families, survivors of the disaster and all those so deeply affected, have been repeatedly let down - before, during and after the horrific events of that day.

"First by the deep complacency of South Yorkshire Police in its preparation for the match, followed by its fundamental failure to grip the disaster as it unfolded, and then through the force’s concerted efforts to deflect the blame on to the Liverpool supporters, which caused enormous distress to bereaved families and survivors for nearly four decades."

The IOPC report also found that South Yorkshire Police "fundamentally failed in its planning for the match, in its response as the disaster unfolded and in how it dealt with traumatised supporters and families searching for their loved ones".

Blaming the victims

The force "attempted to deflect the blame" and "this included allegations about the behaviour of supporters, which have been repeatedly disproven".

Police initially blamed Liverpool supporters, arriving late, drunk and without tickets, for causing the disaster but, after decades of campaigning by families, that narrative was debunked.

In April 2016, new inquests - held after the original verdicts of accidental death were quashed in 2012 - determined that those who died had been unlawfully killed.

The IOPC also examined the actions of West Midlands Police, which investigated the disaster and supported Lord Justice Taylor's inquiry that followed. It found the force's investigation was "wholly unsatisfactory and too narrow".

Gross misconduct

The report names 12 officers who would have had a case to answer for gross misconduct.

They include the then-South Yorkshire chief constable Peter Wright "for his part in attempting to minimise culpability and deflect blame for the disaster away from SYP and towards Liverpool supporters". Peter Wright died in 2011.

Also named is the match commander on the day, Chief Supt David Duckenfield.

He was cleared by a jury of gross negligence manslaughter at a retrial in November 2019, after the jury in his first trial was unable to reach a verdict.

Dozens of allegations of misconduct against officers have been upheld but none will face disciplinary proceedings because they have all left the police service.

Legislation in place at the time did not require the police to have a duty of candour.

But the report has received a lukewarm reception from some of the victims' families.

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'There will be another disaster'

Jenni Hicks, whose teenage daughters Sarah and Vicki died at Hillsborough, questioned why action had not been taken against those officers when police failings were first revealed by the Taylor inquiry just months after the disaster.

She said: "I can't believe, having seen the 370-odd page report, how on earth it can have taken them 13 years to write. There's very little in this report that I didn't know already. It's not, in my opinion, about telling the families anything."

In September, the government introduced the so-called Hillsborough Law to the House of Commons. It will include a duty of candour, forcing public officials to act with honesty and integrity at all times or face criminal sanctions.

But Louise Brookes, whose brother Andrew Mark Brookes died at Hillsborough, dismissed both the IOPC report and the new law.

"Nothing will ever change. There will be another cover-up, there will be another disaster, and until things change at the very top, and I include MPs, chief constables, CEOs of organisations, until they're the ones who stop protecting and covering up for themselves, nothing will ever change."

'Bitter injustice'

Nicola Brook, a solicitor at Broudie Jackson Canter acting for several bereaved families, said it was a "bitter injustice" that no one would be held to account.

She said: "This outcome may vindicate the bereaved families and survivors who have fought for decades to expose the truth - but it delivers no justice. Instead, it exposes a system that has allowed officers to simply walk away, retiring without scrutiny, sanction or consequence for failing to meet the standards the public has every right to expect.

"Yes, the law has now changed so this loophole cannot be used in future. But for those affected by this case, that is no consolation.

"They are left with yet another bitter injustice: the truth finally acknowledged, but accountability denied."

In her statement, published with the IOPC report, Ms Cashell said: "As I have expressed to those closely affected, this process has taken too long - those who campaigned for so many years deserve better.

"If a legal duty of candour had existed in 1989, it could have helped ensure that all relevant evidence was shared fully and promptly. The families of those who were unlawfully killed would have experienced a far less traumatic fight for answers about what happened to their loved ones. Had that duty existed, our investigations may not have been necessary at all."

What has been the reaction to the report?

Charlotte Hennessy, whose father James was among the 97 killed in the tragedy, said Liverpool fans were "wrongfully blamed by the people who should have protected them" on the day of the disaster.

Steve Kelly, whose brother was killed at Hillsborough, said the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will ensure people will not go unpunished if a similar tragedy occurs.

Also known as the Hillsborough Law, the bill is intended to make sure authorities will face criminal sanctions if they attempt to cover up the facts behind disasters.

"No one should be beaten by the passage of time," Mr Kelly said. "We should have truth, justice and accountability within at least in that person's lifetime. It can't happen again."

Sue Roberts, secretary of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, lost her brother in the tragedy.

During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, she was asked if she was upset that the police officers named in the report would not face any punishment for their roles in the disaster.

"It's very frustrating," she said. "But at least they've been named now, so their families can feel the shame of what went on."

'Deep regret and shame'

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has called the Hillsborough disaster a "stain on our nation's history".

She said today "serves as a stark reminder of one of the most significant failings in policing the country has ever seen".

Following the publication of Tuesday's report, South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Lauren Poultney said its findings will "always be a point of deep regret and shame" for the force.

She said: "There is nothing I can say today which can take away the years of pain and hurt caused by the force I now lead.

"On behalf of South Yorkshire Police, I fully accept the IOPC report which highlights a litany of failures and am so deeply sorry for the pain and heartache caused.

"The report is clear in that people attended a football match in Sheffield and therefore, they were in our care. The force failed them and also failed their loved ones in the days, months and years after.

"This will always be a point of deep regret and shame for South Yorkshire Police. Those who lost their lives will always be in my thoughts."

Leo, the first American pontiff, said it would be better to attempt dialogue or impose economic pressure on Venezuela if Washington wants to pursue change there.

The Trump administration has been weighing options to combat what it has portrayed as Mr Maduro's role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans.

The socialist Venezuelan president has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday alongside the president, defence secretary Pete Hegseth said the US had paused strikes because it was hard to find drug boats. But strikes against drug traffickers would continue, he said.

Asked during a news conference about President Trump's threats to remove Mr Maduro by force, the Pope said: "It is better to search for ways of dialogue, or perhaps pressure, including economic pressure."

He added that Washington should search for other ways to achieve change "if that is what they want to do in the United States".

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The Pope was speaking as he flew home from visiting Turkey and Lebanon - his first overseas trip in the role.

Mr Maduro has said Venezuelans are ready to defend their country as the US considers a land attack.

The president held a rally in Caracas amid heightened tensions with Mr Trump's administration, which has been targeting what it says are boats carrying drug smugglers.

Mr Trump met his national security team on Monday evening, having warned last week that land strikes would start "very soon".

It has not been confirmed what was discussed at the meeting. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "There's many options at the president's disposal that are on the table - and I'll let him speak on those."

US forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.

Mr Maduro - considered a dictator by many in the West - said on Monday that Venezuelans were ready "to defend [the country] and lead it to the path of peace".

"We have lived through 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism," he said.

Venezuela has said the boat attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder - and that Mr Trump's true motivation is to oust Mr Maduro and access its oil.

Anthony Gilheaney, 30, left a "trail of carnage" in early-hours incident last year which saw five people mowed down, an Old Bailey trial was told on Tuesday.

Aidan Chapman, 25, and his friend Tyrone Ithoro were knocked over on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC, opening the trial, told jurors that the Mercedes was "being driven at speed".

"And for no apparent reason other than a desire to knock somebody down, the defendant careered onto the other side of the road and struck them," Mr Aylett said.

"He [Mr Chapman] simply had not stood a chance."

Video played to the jury showed the pair looking both ways to cross the road, which appeared clear at the time.

Mr Ithoro was almost on the pavement when the car clipped him at speed and knocked him over.

However, the court heard that Mr Chapman was hit head-on and thrown into the air, landing on the other side of the junction with Rupert Street.

"Aidan was bleeding profusely from his head and ears, and he was lapsing in and out of consciousness," said Mr Aylett.

Mr Chapman was taken to hospital, where he was found to have a serious brain injury and fractures to his skull, face bones and right thigh.

"The neurosurgery team considered that there was no surgery that was capable of improving his condition," Mr Aylett said.

"On New Year's Eve, the machines that had been keeping him alive were turned off."

'Homophobic' and 'racist' attacks

Jurors were told that Gilheaney had been at a nightclub on Shaftesbury Avenue, and was drunk when he left. Prosecutors said that he got in his car and reversed into a man, calling him a "p***" in what they allege was a racist attack.

Gilheaney is then said to have reversed into a Uber driver's car twice before targeting two men walking back from Midnight Mass on Great Windmill Street.

Prosecutors said he drove at the couple twice in a homophobic attack. It was then that he allegedly drove off on to Shaftesbury Avenue, and hit Mr Chapman and Mr Ithoro.

Gilheaney denies one count of murder, one count of wounding with intent, three counts of attempted murder, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

He has already admitted dangerous driving, and jurors were told he has six dangerous driving convictions dating from March 2012 to March 2023.

The trial continues.

Wayne Couzens was sentenced to a whole-life order for the kidnap, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah on March 3, 2021.

Susan Everard's statement to the Angiolini Inquiry read: "I read that you shouldn't let a tragedy define you, but I feel that Sarah's death is such a big part of me that I'm surprised there is no outer sign of it, no obvious mark of grief.

"I have been changed by it, but there is nothing to see. Outwardly we live our normal lives, but there is an inner sadness.

"People who do know are unfailingly kind and have helped more than they will ever know.

"We are not the only ones to lose a child, of course, and we form a sad bond with other bereaved parents.

"After four years, the shock of Sarah's death has diminished but we are left with an overwhelming sense of loss and what might have been.

"All the happy, ordinary things of life have been stolen from Sarah and from us - there will be no wedding, no grandchildren, no family celebrations with everyone there.

"Sarah will always be missing and I will always long for her.

"I go through a turmoil of emotions - sadness, rage, panic, guilt and numbness.

"They used to come all in one day but as time goes by they are more widely spaced and, to some extent, time blunts the edges.

"I am not yet at the point where happy memories of Sarah come to the fore.

"When I think of her, I can't get past the horror of her last hours. I am still tormented by the thought of what she endured.

"We find we still appreciate the lovely things of life, but, without Sarah, there is no unbridled joy. And grief is unpredictable - it sits there quietly only to rear up suddenly and pierce our hearts.

"They say that the last stage of grief is acceptance. I am not sure what that means. I am accustomed to Sarah no longer being with us, but I rage against it."

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The inquiry called for urgent action to prevent further violent, sexual attacks against women and girls in its latest report.

Publishing her findings, Lady Elish Angiolini, a former solicitor general for Scotland, said: "There is no better time to act than now. I want leaders to, quite simply, get a move on. There are lives at stake."

The move by the Public Accounts Committee follows scrutiny of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's living arrangements at Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate, and the revelation he pays a peppercorn rent.

The Crown Estate and the Treasury were asked to explain and justify his lease agreement to the committee after the series of scandals over Andrew's controversial links to Jeffrey Epstein which saw him step down from royal duties and lose his royal style and titles.

The former prince has consistently denied allegations of sexual abuse and his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, took her own life this year.

Public Accounts Committee chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown thanked the Treasury and Crown Estate for responding to questions and said the committee's "overall" mission was to "secure value for money for the taxpayer".

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He said: "Having reflected on what we have received, the information provided clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry."

The inquiry into the Crown Estate will start in the new year and will consider leases given to members of the royal family, as well as wider work based on the estate's annual accounts.

Part of the responses given to the committee confirm Andrew won't receive any compensation for leaving Royal Lodge due to the maintenance and repairs the property needs.

It has also been revealed that the Prince and Princess of Wales have a 20-year lease on their new home, Forest Lodge, also situated within Windsor Great Park.