Five men charged with offences relating to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster and its aftermath have appeared in court and been bailed until 6 September.
Ninety-six men, women and children died at the stadium in Sheffield during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
The men that appeared in court were former West Yorkshire chief constable Sir Norman Bettison, former police officers Donald Denton and Alan Foster, South Yorkshire Police solicitor Peter Metcalf and former Sheffield Wednesday secretary and safety officer Graham Mackrell.
The five faced charges including misconduct in a public office, perverting the course of justice, and contravening a term of condition of a safety certificate at the ground.
A sixth person, former senior police officer David Duckenfield, is also accused of manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 of the victims, though a court appearance is yet to be arranged pending an application to the High Court.
All the defendants faced a media scrum as they arrived at Warrington Magistrates' Court and inside reporters packed the press benches while more than 30 relatives of the Liverpool fans who died sat in the public gallery.
All five were bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on 6 September, following a 25-minute hearing dealing largely with administrative matters.
Mr Bettison is charged with four offences of misconduct in a public office, relating to alleged lies he told in accounts of his involvement in the disaster afterwards.
Mr Mackrell is accused of two offences involving the stadium safety certificate and a health and safety offence.
No formal pleas were entered by the defendants.
Mr Metcalf, Mr Denton and Mr Foster all face charges of perverting the course of justice relating to changes made to police officers' witness statements taken after the tragedy.
The five men appeared in court for the first time after the Crown Prosecution Service announced in June they would be charged.
The decision came after the second inquest into the disaster last year returned verdicts of unlawful killing of the 96 fans.
They were crushed to death in pens at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium on April 15 1989 as their FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest began.
Though 96 died there will be no manslaughter prosecution over the death of Anthony Bland, as he died almost four years later, and under the law in 1989 his death is now "out of time" to be prosecuted.
Police at first blamed the tragedy on drunken fans, an explanation that was always rejected by the families of the victims and the wider Liverpool community.
The jury in the new inquests also identified errors in the police planning and response, the actions of commanding officers, the safety certification of the ground, the management of the stadium by Sheffield Wednesday FC and the response by the ambulance service.
Details of charges set out by the Crown Prosecution Service -
- Former South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent David Duckenfield, who was the match commander on the day of the disaster, is charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 men, women and children.
- Former South Yorkshire Police chief constable Norman Bettison is charged with four offences of misconduct in public office.
- Former South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent Donald Denton is charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice relating to material changes made to witness statements.
- Former South Yorkshire Police detective chief inspector Alan Foster is also charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice relating to material changes made to witness statements.
- Graham Mackrell, who was Sheffield Wednesday's company secretary and safety officer at the time, is charged with two offences of contravening a term of condition of a safety certificate. He is also charged with a further health and safety-related offence.
- Peter Metcalf, who was the solicitor acting for South Yorkshire Police during the Taylor Inquiry and the first inquests, is charged with doing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice relating to material changes made to witness statements.
