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Kelvin MacKenzie ropes in Rosenblatt for Hillsborough police apology bid

26 September 2012 | By James Swift

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Former The Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie has turned to Rosenblatt Solicitors’ senior partner Ian Rosenblatt in a bid to extract an apology from South Yorkshire Police for the vilification he suffered in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster.

According to reports, MacKenzie wants an apology from South Yorkshire Police for supplying the information that led him to publish a front page article wrongly blaming Liverpool fans for the Hillsborough disaster under the headline ‘The Truth’.

It is understood that his lawyers will contend that MacKenzie suffered decades of vilification as a result of the article, which was based on the reports of members of South Yorkshire Police and a local MP and led to The Sun being boycotted in Liverpool.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said that she had no knowledge of any letter delivered by MacKenzie’s solicitors, but added: “South Yorkshire Police awaits Mr MacKenzie’s letter with interest. It’s well known that many media outlets ran similar stories at the time based on the same sources but chose to treat them differently. Mr Mackenzie was responsible for the particular headline he chose to run with.”

Earlier this month the SRA announced that it was launching an investigation into the conduct of solicitors involved in the aftermath of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster (20 September 2012), where 96 people died following a human crush at a football match between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest, after seeing reports by the Hillsborough Independent Panel (13 September 2012).

Rosenblatt, who has advised MacKenzie in the past (22 March 2004), could not be contacted for comment but a source at the firm confirmed that he was advising MacKenzie on the matter.

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Readers' comments (8)

  • Bill Shankly | 26-Sep-2012 6:37 pm

    There's an obvious causation defence available here given that Mr MacKenzie would have suffered decades of vilification in any event.

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  • Anonymous | 26-Sep-2012 8:46 pm

    what a cheek.its him that needs to apologise to liverpool suporters and also to the public!

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  • Anonymous | 27-Sep-2012 9:07 am

    Kelvin McKenzie really is a genius – just when I thought he couldn’t be more loathsome. The fact is that a number of red tops received the same lies from SYP and ran the story; however they made it clear that the story was the police version of the events. It was only McKenzie’s paper who said it was the absolute truth and to run it in that way is a pure editorial decision, made by McKenzie. Words fail me with McKenzie – he really is a horrible, horrible human being who would be better off going away. For ever.

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  • Anonymous | 27-Sep-2012 1:42 pm

    He said for years that he would not 'give up his source'. Funny how things have changed so quickly. Vile.

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  • Anonymous | 27-Sep-2012 5:01 pm

    Good punchy riposte by the SYP spokeswoman. In your face McKenzie.

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  • Anonymous | 27-Sep-2012 5:46 pm

    Breathtaking even by Mackenzie's standards to try and portray himself as a victim here.
    I do like Bill Shankly's post, looks pretty bulletproof to me legally as well.

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  • dragonfly | 28-Sep-2012 5:32 am

    Hmm....interesting self victimisation. I made a decision to sell lots of newspapers and boost my bonus. Now I want someone to blame coz it was not the sun wot run it. I am a victim and someone must be to blame.

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  • James Bone | 1-Oct-2012 2:28 pm

    What a shame he did not give up his sauce

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