The journalist who exposed the Birmingham Six miscarriage of justice hit out at West Midlands Police after they sought a court order requiring him to reveal his sources. As part of its investigation into the 1974 pub bombings which led to 21 people dying and 182 injured, West Midlands Police have applied for an order requiring Chris Mullin to disclose material relating to his investigation. ‘It is beyond irony. They appear to have gone for the guy who blew the whistle,’ the former MP said.
As a journalist in the 1980s, Chris Mullin was pivotal in the campaign that resulted in the release of the Birmingham Six through his work on ITV’s flagship investigative programme World in Action highlighting concerns over the men’s convictions. His 1986 book, Error of Judgment: The Truth About the Birmingham Pub Bombings, exposed the scandal and included claims that he had met those responsible for the bombings.
Mullins told the press: ‘If West Midlands police had carried out a proper investigation after the bombings, instead of framing the first half-dozen people unlucky enough to fall into their hands, they might have caught the real perpetrators in the first place.’
His case is being backed by the National Union of Journalists. ‘The principle of protecting your source and keeping your word when confidentiality is pledged is a vital one for all journalists and lies at the heart of the NUJ’s Code of Conduct,’ said Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary.
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