MPs on the Northern Ireland Select Affairs Committee this week heard from victims – in meetings timed to coincide with the public work of the Eames-Bradley Consultative Group on the Past.

During a private question-and- answer session, held in the Culloden Hotel, near Belfast, victims’ campaigner Willie Frazer told them that there would be people who would seek retribution for the death of their loved ones – once they had established who was responsible.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Frazer said: “I know who killed my father but I have never gone down the path of an eye for eye, I have always believed in the rule of law and natural justice and always hoped and prayed that it would be properly served.

“But I am quite certain in a country like Northern Ireland that if you have any sort of public or even private truth process, which ultimately lets the murderer off with his crime, once he has admitted it, there will be some who are so pent up with years of emotion and hurt and anger that they will be driven to execute their own justice.

“A truth commission will mean bodies on the streets. Northern Ireland is a small place where people are neighbours with their loved one’s killers. It is a different set of circumstances to the South African case.”

Mr Frazer told the committee he personally knew of people he believed would take such action.

At the end of a week in which the Consultative Body on the Past has toured the country consulting with victims and relatives, unionists remained negative about the process.

Last week’s leak that the group is at least considering an amnesty for terrorist killers and calling for the Troubles to be declared “a war” seems to have seriously undermined the body in unionist circles.

Lord Eames again made it clear at a meeting in Ballymena on Wednesday evening that no decisions have been taken and insisted there was no preconceived agenda to recommend these ideas.

But after final meetings in Armagh and Omagh last night, he is now well aware of the mood among Protestants.

West Tyrone Voice victims’ spokesman Hazlett Lynch was at the Ballymena and Londonderry meetings.

“Protestant victims have lost all confidence in this group on the past because of those leaks but also because we have seen and heard all of this before with these consultations on victims,” he said.

“They come with a Government policy agenda and we know where it’s going.”

The Ballymena meeting on Wednesday was particularly poorly attended.

Local unionist councillor Robin Sterling was there and said: “I personally have little faith in it.”

Ex-RUC officer Andrew Hanna served in the Newry and Armagh area. Last night he said he was not going to the Armagh meeting.

“We had it with Patten, when he consulted with Protestants and then destroyed the RUC.