Professor Phil Scraton has been honoured for his part in exposing the truth regarding the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.

Scraton, who is the author of Hillsborough: The Truth, has been named the winner of the inaugural Vice-Chancellor's Impact Prize at Queen's University Belfast for his research into the tragedy, which resulted in the death of 96 Liverpool fans.

Queen's Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Gregson said: "I am delighted to present Professor Scraton with my inaugural Impact Prize.

"There can be no doubt that his work has answered many of the questions asked by the bereaved families of the victims of Hillsborough and will have a far reaching impact on the practice of responding to such controversial events."

The Hillsborough Independent Panel recently discovered that statements from the South Yorkshire Police had been amended in order to deflect blame from the authorities to the Liverpool fans themselves.