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| Birmingham pub bombings inquests to be reopened | Birmingham pub bombings inquests to be reopened |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Inquests into deaths of 21 people in the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings are to be reopened, a coroner has ruled. | Inquests into deaths of 21 people in the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings are to be reopened, a coroner has ruled. |
| Louise Hunt said there had been a "wealth of evidence that still has not been heard" about the atrocities. | Louise Hunt said there had been a "wealth of evidence that still has not been heard" about the atrocities. |
| The hearing was told there was evidence West Midlands Police had missed two potential warnings of the bomb attacks. | The hearing was told there was evidence West Midlands Police had missed two potential warnings of the bomb attacks. |
| It included a comment made by men linked to IRA that "Birmingham would be hit next week". | It included a comment made by men linked to IRA that "Birmingham would be hit next week". |
| West Midlands Police had argued the coroner did not have the jurisdiction to hear the inquests but she said she rejected that submission. | |
| The original hearings, opened days after the attacks, were not continued after the jailing of six men, whose convictions were later quashed. | The original hearings, opened days after the attacks, were not continued after the jailing of six men, whose convictions were later quashed. |
| Q&A: Pub bombings inquests | Q&A: Pub bombings inquests |
| The double bombing on 21 November 1974, which destroyed the Mulberry Bush pub at the base of the city's landmark Bullring Rotunda and the underground Tavern in the Town, is widely acknowledged to have been the work of the IRA. | The double bombing on 21 November 1974, which destroyed the Mulberry Bush pub at the base of the city's landmark Bullring Rotunda and the underground Tavern in the Town, is widely acknowledged to have been the work of the IRA. |
| It was the worst terrorist attack on the British mainland until the London 7/7 bombings and left 21 dead and 182 injured. | It was the worst terrorist attack on the British mainland until the London 7/7 bombings and left 21 dead and 182 injured. |
| Those responsible have never faced justice and the only men to be tried for the crime - the Birmingham Six - had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal in 1991, after a botched investigation by West Midlands Police. | Those responsible have never faced justice and the only men to be tried for the crime - the Birmingham Six - had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal in 1991, after a botched investigation by West Midlands Police. |
| The Birmingham and Solihull coroner reviewed a huge body of police evidence and heard submissions from the victims' relatives and other interested parties in February. | |
| The overheard conversation was reported to police on November 10 1974, 11 days before the bombings, but Ms Hunt said there was "no indication that the police took any active steps in response to it". | |
| Pub bombers 'will not be jailed' | |
| On the day of the attack, a second tip-off to the police was not followed up, she added. | |
| Ms Hunt went on: "I have serious concerns that advanced notice of the bombs may have been available to the police and that they failed to take the necessary steps to protect life." | |
| Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine was killed aged 18 in the Tavern in the Town, has led the campaign for justice, with her brother Brian. | |
| Outside the coroner's court in Solihull, she said: "All we want is is to be heard - truth, justice and accountability. | |
| "We hope the police and Police Federation don't decide to appeal on this... that would be highly cynical on their part. | |
| "Today, we stand united. I'm so proud of all the families, legal team and you (the media). | |
| "I cannot put into words how we feel.. we've been crying. | |
| "An inquest gives us the opportunity to hear from people you wouldn't normally hear from and it can lead to all sorts of things... the truth... the truth is fundamental." | |
| One of the six wrongly convicted men, Paddy Hill, said outside the court: "They (police) don't want them [the inquests] because there's too many skeletons in the cupboard. | |
| "They had advanced warning and they took no notice. I don't think Birmingham police could spell truth - they're rotten. | |
| "I'm very sceptical about getting the truth." | |
| Following the release of the Birmingham Six in 1991, a reinvestigation was opened, led by the then Chief Constable for the West Midlands, Ron Hadfield, and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Barbara Mills. | |
| A team of 40 officers generated 5,000 documents, statements and reports. In 1994 they concluded there was insufficient evidence for proceedings against any person, and the inquiries had been carried out were to the satisfaction of the DPP. | |
| Ms Mills placed a 75-year embargo on files relating to a Devon and Cornwall Police inquiry into the West Midlands Police investigation. | |
| Analysis - News correspondent Phil Mackie, outside the hearing in Solihull: | |
| The coroner went through the names of the 21 people who lost their lives and the events of the night and the evidence she heard over the past few months. | |
| She said she had no doubt that ascertaining the truth about what happened on the night of 21 November would be difficult but that there was evidence that needed to be heard. | |
| But she said with a note of caution, families and survivors may not get the answers that they want as the inquest could be inconclusive. | |
| However, she said she had two concerns. The moments when West Midlands Police was given information - on 9 November and on 21 November - the actual day of the bombings - from people who had suspicions who told police, but they failed to act. | |
| What happens next is pre-inquest hearings where we'll hear from West Midlands Police, the Police Federation, fire and ambulance and the government - they will have to go through its archive - and we'll hear from MI5 and the Foreign Office. | |
| But it won't be until next year when we have a full hearing. | |
| The campaign to resume inquests has escalated in recent years as victims' families fought for justice. | |
| A statement from Winters Solicitors, who are representing some of the victims' families, said: "This is an historic and memorable moment for the relatives of the victims who have fought so long for truth, justice and accountability regarding the loss of their loved ones. | |
| "They have acted without support since 1974. | |
| "They now have an opportunity to have an independent investigation conducted in compliance with human rights standards in which they can participate and to ask questions regarding the circumstances leading to the loss of their loved ones, whether their loss could have been prevented and what lessons might be learned from the failing of the ensuing investigation by West Midlands Police." |