No conspiracy was hatched to blame Liverpool fans for disaster, says Duckenfield.
The senior policeman in charge on the day of the Hillsborough disaster accepted yesterday that his mistakes had contributed to the deaths of 96 fans but denied being involved in a police cover-up.
On his third day giving evidence at the Warrington inquests, the former chief superintendent David Duckenfield said he could not explain why he chose not to tell Graham Kelly, head of the FA, that he had authorised Gate C to be opened - a decision that had allowed fans into overcrowded pens, thereby causing the fatal crush.
Previously, he admitted lying to Mr Kelly and other officials, when he blamed fans for forcing the gate open before the FA cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989.
He agreed it had been "a blunder of the first magnitude" not to close off a tunnel leading to the terraces when the gate was opened.