The police officer in charge of the soccer match in 1989 at which 96 Liverpool supporters died told an inquest he had lied about fans forcing a gate open, the BBC reported yesterday.

David Duckenfield was speaking about the events which led to the disaster at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

“It was a grave mistake and I apologise profusely,” the 70-year-old said, prompting gasps of horror from the victims’ families who were attending the inquest in Warrington.

“Everybody knew the truth, the fans and police knew the truth that we’d opened the gates.”

Duckenfield, 70, said he had “no idea” what had made him lie and apologised unreservedly to the families.

“(It is) one of the biggest regrets of my life,” Duckenfield added, referring to his failure to consider the consequences of opening the gate.

The Liverpool supporters were crushed to death on the terraces after entering the ground through the open gate.

The Taylor Report in 1990 concluded that the main cause of the disaster was the failure of police control. It prompted major changes in safety standards at stadiums in Britain.