South Yorkshire police chief set for judgement over controversial dismissal

Forced out - former South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton Credit: PA Pictures

The former Chief Constable of South Yorkshire is set to hear if his dismissal in the wake of the Hillsborough Disaster inquests was legal.

David Crompton was suspended and ultimately forced to resign as South Yorkshire's police chief in September 2016.

Mr Crompton is seeking a judicial review into the decision to dismiss him by the area's Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings. He had been planning to retire in November 2016.

Judgement will be passed down on Friday June 9 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Joy for the Hillsborough families after the inquest at Warrington Credit: PA Pictures

Mr Crompton was suspended after the special inquest jury in Warrington concluded police actions contributed to or caused the deaths of 96 football fans at Hillsborough in 1989.

The families of those who died complained to the coroner, claiming the questioning by South Yorkshire Police's legal team was designed to blame the fans for the disaster.

After the inquests, Mr Crompton appeared to justify the questioning of the fans' conduct, despite a statement he made in 2012 apologising for the force's failings.

Dr Billings said Mr Crompton's conduct immediately after the inquests showed he had failed to ''grasp the gravity'' of the situation.

Counsel for Mr Crompton, Hugh Davies QC, argued Dr Billings had ''no fair or reasonable basis'' for taking the ''draconian step'' of forcing him out of office.