Journalist to contest police bid to access Birmingham pub bombings material

Mr Mullin’s 1986 book, Error of Judgement: The Truth About The Birmingham Bombings, helped to expose the miscarriage of justice suffered by the Birmingham Six convicted for the bombings, who were eventually exonerated in 1991.

West Midlands Police (WMP) has applied for an order under the Terrorism Act 2000 requiring Mr Mullin to disclose material relating to his investigation of the bombings in 1985 and 1986.

With the support of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Mullin is contesting the application on the grounds that to disclose the material requested would be a fundamental breach of the principle that journalists are entitled to protect their sources.

A hearing will take place at the Old Bailey tomorrow and Friday before the Record of London, Judge Mark Lucraft QC. Mr Mullin is being represented by Louis Charalambous of Simons Muirhead Burton and Gavin Millar QC.

WPM is seeking to have Friday’s hearing held in private, which has drawn criticism from the Society of Editors. The Guardian, the Daily Mail and he Times are expected to challenge the bid to have the hearing in private.

Speaking ahead of the hearing, Mr Mullin said: “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. It is beyond irony. They appear to have gone for the guy who blew the whistle.”

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “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.

“The case brought by West Midlands Police risks compromising that core principle and undermining press freedom which is why the NUJ stands four-square behind Chris and is backing this case.”

Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors, said: “The decision to move to ban reporters from Friday’s hearing at the Old Bailey is deeply worrying given the immense public interest in Mullin’s upcoming challenge.

“As warned by the Society following last week’s Bloomberg Supreme Court ruling, legitimate public interest journalism is at risk of going unreported if privacy considerations continue to take precedent over the public’s right to know.”