Man ‘confessed to pub bombings’

Chris Mullin, 74, who investigated the atrocity, is fighting a police bid to force him to reveal his sources.

Mr Mullin, also a former MP and minister, is challenging an application by West Midlands Police to require him to disclose source material dating back to his investigation in 1985 and 1986.

In his book Error Of Judgement, and a series of documentaries, Mr Mullin helped expose one of the worst miscarriages of justice, leading to the release of the Birmingham Six after their convictions were quashed in 1991.

West Midlands Police are now using the Terrorism Act to bring the production order application.

James Lewis QC, representing West Midlands Police, told the Old Bailey yesterday that Mr Mullin refuses to identify the bomb planter – referred to in court as AB.

Mr Lewis said: “Mr Mullin refuses to identify him because he says he promised AB he would not reveal his identity.”

The barrister said redactions and omissions in material handed to police were to protect the identity of AB.

“It’s quite clear that the whole purpose of the redactions was to prevent the identity of AB,” he said.

Mr Lewis told the court that Mr Mullin conducted a four-hour interview with AB and made contemporaneous notes.

The barrister described the confession from AB as voluntary, accurate and reliable, adding: “In short it is a full confession to the murders.”

He pointed out that this was not a third party disclosing information in the public interest.

“This is the murderer himself confessing,” he said.

Talking about redactions, Mr Lewis said: “It’s not simply redactions, but pages have been omitted to protect AB’s identity.”

Mr Lewis said the confession is a “paradigm example of something that is likely to be of substantial value to the investigation”.

He said the benefit of the confession is “enormous” and said it would outweigh that AB had extracted “a promise of anonymity”.

Mr Mullin, who is being supported by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), will argue that disclosure would be a fundamental breach of the principle that journalists are entitled to protect their sources.

The Recorder of London Judge Mark Lucraft will consider the application after hearing submissions.

The hearing continues.