Hillsborough files yet to be seen

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Unseen files on South Yorkshire Police's handling of the Hillsborough disaster should be made public, the force's Chief Constable has said.

Meredydd Hughes said most, but not all, of the 300 boxes of evidence concerning the tragedy was in the public domain.

Mr Hughes denied there had been a cover-up over the disaster but admitted some officers' statements were altered.

"South Yorkshire Police has no secrets, has a lot of information we hope can be made public," he told BBC Look North.

Mr Hughes added: "And if it is possible to do so we will.

"If I'd thought there had been a cover-up I'd have dealt with it.

"I don't need a 20th anniversary to put right an injustice."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith recently asked South Yorkshire Police to release unseen files on the disaster 10 years early.

The documents contain detailed evidence of what happened during the April 1989 tragedy.

It would be highly surprising that there is anything in these files that after 20 years could cause such a major re-appraisal of the disaster Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes

But Mr Hughes said he had not received a request for information from the government, although he said he was due to speak to Ms Smith.

The South Yorkshire force was heavily criticised over its handling of the case in Lord Taylor's 1991 report, although nobody has never been held accountable.

More than 150 alterations were made to officers' statements from the day.

One which read "no senior officer appeared to be in command of the situation" was completely removed from transcripts.

Norman Lewis, a retired South Yorkshire Police officer, told BBC News nine years ago that he was ordered to rewrite his statement, which mentioned a lack of advice from senior officers, but he refused to do so.

Yet Mr Hughes defended the changes made to statements.

"They are not changing the words, what they are doing is removing comments.

"For instance that an officer may have the best recollection, but subsequently in court or in evidence could not give as the truth," he explained.

"It would be highly surprising that there is anything in these files that after 20 years could cause such a major re-appraisal of the disaster that is Hillsborough."

Former Pc told 'change statement'