Ex-Sunderland MP slams 'uninterested' police in terror powers court battle over access to 'Birmingham Six' IRA bombing research

Chris Mullin, who represented the Sunderland South constituency until 2010 and now lives in Northumberland, was a key figure in the campaign for the release of the ‘Birmingham Six’.

The group spent years in prison after being falsely convicted of plotting deadly IRA bombings on two bars in the city.

But he has continued to defy an attempt by West Midlands Police to force him to hand over his research into the case, which detectives believe could lead them to the real masterminds behind the attacks.

“My intention was to rescue the six men who I believed to be innocent and who had by this time been in prison for 12 years and who had no prospect of release,” he said in a witness statement to the Old Bailey last week.

“It was also obvious from the outset that none of those involved in the bombings would talk to me if they thought I was merely collecting evidence on behalf of the police – although it must be said that, at the time, the West Midlands Police were entirely uninterested in pursuing any such line of inquiry.”

West Midlands Police (WMP) is attempting to use powers under the Terrorism Act to compel Mullins hand over notebooks and other material related to his own independent investigations.

Mullins however has insisted it is a “fundamental ethical obligation of journalists” to protect their sources.

James Lewis QC, representing the force, told the court the ex-MP had heard a “full confession to the murders” from a man named only as AB.

He claimed the benefit of the confession to an ongoing investigation was “enormous” and that it would outweigh any “promise of anonymity” given at the time.

And he added “thorough and effective” investigation of terrorism was “plainly in the public interest”.

Twenty-one people were killed in the bomb attack on two pubs in Birmingham on November 21, 1974.

Following the release of the Birmingham Six, a further 30 convictions based on WMP investigations were quashed.

The Recorder of London Judge Mark Lucraft will deliver his ruling on a future date.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling Sunderland’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe - and click here to get a snapshot of the Echo’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters.