A woman whose sister died in the Birmingham pub bombings has called for a public inquiry to be held after it was claimed British intelligence was involved.
Julie Hambleton spoke out after English career criminal Paul Cleeland claimed he was recruited to murder five people on behalf of MI5 in the early days of the Troubles.
The 82-year-old, who lives in England, has also claimed in a sworn affidavit, that a man he met while serving a prison sentence confessed that he planted the Birmingham bombs on behalf of British intelligence.
Cleeland claims the man, whose identity is known to the Irish News, was a getaway driver when he carried out the five murders for MI5 years earlier.
Twenty-one people were killed and dozens injured when explosions ripped through two pubs in Birmingham in November 1974.
Although the IRA never claimed the attacks, it is believed to have been responsible.
Six Irishmen, known as the Birmingham Six, were later falsely accused of involvement and served lengthy prison sentences.
Relatives of the dead and their supporters continue to call for a public inquiry into the lethal attacks.
Ms Hambleton, whose sister Maxine was killed in the blasts, revealed that a 2019 inquest refused to accept Mr Cleeland’s affidavit.
“Paul Clelland’s disclosure continues to fuel further myth and rumour,” she said.
“My brother and I met with him some years ago and we have also read his piece, which…was put before the coroner at our inquest in 2019 and was refused, the coroner wouldn’t allow it to be heard.”
The Justice for the 21 campaigner said this “illustrates the total failure of mechanisms like an inquest that are so ill equipped to deal with such challenging and complex cases such as ours.”
Ms Hambleton repeated her call for a public inquiry.
“We believe, our families believe, it’s hugely important that this government implements and gives us a statutory one public inquiry,” she said.
“Especially, after 50 years, we are going into the 51st year now, as there are thousands of questions than ever before and only a public inquiry will give us the transparency needed to answer so many of those questions.
“And, could either prove or disprove what Paul Cleeland is saying.”
In 1973 Mr Cleeland was convicted of the murder of his business partner Terry Clarke in England a year earlier.
He claims he was “framed” for the murder after he was “of no further use to the intelligence branches”.
Sentenced to life, he served 27 years.
Mr Cleeland continues to insist he is innocent of the murder.
He says that as a ‘Category A’ prisoner he met several IRA members and the man who had been his getaway driver in the early 1970s.
Mr Cleeland claims that during a jailhouse meeting between him, an IRA member and his former ‘driver’ the latter admitted “that he planted the bombs in Birmingham on the order of the British intelligence”.
The former lifer claims the ‘driver’ told him and the IRA man the Birmingham operation was set up to damage support for the republican movement and disrupt fundraising in England.
Christopher Stanley, of KRW Law, said Mr Cleeland’s account, and others, “was ruled out (of) scope of the inquest as it went to the question of perpetrators”.
He added the issue of a public inquiry is being considered by the Home Office.
“Yesterday KRW Law wrote again to the Home Office asking for a decision to be made and emphasising that politicians have all the arguments and information available to them to make a decision to establish a public inquiry forthwith,” he said.
