£230k spent by police on pub bombs inquest so far Chief constable reveals costs as families push for justice
WEST Midlands Police has spent more than £232,000 providing information to the Coroner about the upcoming inquest into the Birmingham pub bombings.
Chief Constable David Thompson told the Strategic Police and Crime Board that “visibility about the costs” was in the public interest but added he would not be providing an ongoing commentary.
He said the force had already spent the money on researching and reviewing material in relation to the 1974 bombings at the Tavern In The Town pub and the Mulberry Bush which killed 21 innocent people and injured more than 180.
More than £2,000 was spent on visits to Shetland and Cork in the Republic of Ireland. And he revealed that more than £10,000 of those costs related to the preparation, delivery and disclosure of packages on behalf of the Coroner, which included two visits to Belfast.
A botched investigation by West Midlands Police led to the Birmingham Six being wrongly jailed for the bombings, but the men were freed in 1991 after their convictions were ruled unsafe by the Court of Appeal.
In the 1970s, inquests were opened after the attacks, but were never resumed.
Birmingham and Solihull Coroner Louise Hunt made the historic decision last summer to hold new inquests into the deaths and suggested there was a raft of information never aired in public – includ-
The pub bombing costs will be met locally and we will make sure there is a degree of visibility about them Chief Constable David Thompson (above)
ing claims that police allegedly ignored two tip-offs of an imminent IRA attack in the city.
One of Britain’s most senior coroner’s, Peter Thornton QC, has since been appointed to oversee the inquest and a further hearing is scheduled to take place on February 23.
In speaking about the pub bombing costs, and costs associated with national inquiries relating to child sexual abuse and undercover policing, Chief Constable Thompson said: “There is a significant amount of costs that have started to build up and there is a public interest in knowing about these costs. These events may have happened some time ago but we recognise that it’s just as real today for survivors and victims.
“These issues have a direct bearing on people today.
“In terms of the pub bombings the force has already incurred a significant level of costs involved in the investigation and research in support of the coroner and QC overseeing the inquest.
“The pub bombing costs will be met locally and we will make sure there is a degree of visibility about them.
“There will also be legal costs, as we are an interested party, but I think it would be unhelpful to provide a running totaliser.
“But there has been such a level of interest that I wanted to make sure the Commissioner was aware of the costs.
“I want to make sure there is a good level of accountability, but not a running commentary.”
West Midlands Police have already set aside £1 million to cover their own legal costs and Chief Constable Thompson also welcomed a change in the law that has allowed the families to access legal aid.