Five bereaved Hillsborough families told they cannot give evidence in a case brought by South Yorkshire’s former chief constable must pay HIS lawyers’ bills of up to £28,000.

The decision to ask South Yorkshire chief constable David Crompton to resign in the wake of the inquest verdict into the disaster last year is due to be challenged.

His case is set to be heard at the High Court later this month and today five families applied to be allowed to play a part in the hearing.

(Image: Dave Higgens/PA Wire)

They claimed they can assist with arguments relating to what happened at the inquest, held in Warrington between 2014 and 2016.

But after refusing them permission to “intervene” in Mr Crompton’s legal challenge, Lady Justice Sharp ordered the families to foot his bill for today’s hearing.

The court in London heard Mr Crompton’s lawyers’ bills, which have not yet been fully assessed, could run as high as £28,000.

The judge said the families were well-placed to assist the court later this month with what happened at the inquest.

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However, the case is only about the lawfulness of the decision by South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Alan Billings, to request Mr Crompton’s resignation, she said.

Although the inquest is part of the background, information about it will be available as a matter of public record, she added.

She concluded: “In our judgment, submissions from the proposed interveners cannot assist us on the issues.

“Permitting the intervention and consequential need to allow the other parties to respond would serve only to increase the length and costs of these proceedings.

“In those circumstances, this application is refused.”

The court heard the application had been brought by Dorothy Griffiths, Barry Devonside, Becky Shah, Wendy Hamilton and Charlotte Hennessy, all family members of victims of the 1989 disaster.

Their barrister, Kate Stone, urged the judge, sitting with Mr Justice Garnham, not to order them to pay Mr Crompton’s costs of today’s hearing.

“They have no public funding and no costs protection,” she said.

“There is a small amount of charitable funding in place to make the application - and that is all there is.

“In my submission, the court should be slow to make an order in those circumstances, particularly given their status as victims of a historic miscarriage of justice.”

The judges ordered the families to pay Mr Crompton’s costs, to be assessed.