Police lose bomb from Birmingham terror attack
Police have lost a bomb that was suspected of being linked to the Birmingham pub bombings, it has emerged.
This meant it could not be scoured for clues using the latest forensic science techniques during the two year 'reassessment' of the case that West Midland officers are about to complete after failing to uncover any new lead.
The third bomb is among 35 pieces of evidence that went missing after the wrongful conviction of six men for the outrage that left 21 dead and 182 injured almost 40 years ago. It was found at the rear of Barclays Bank in Hagley Road, Edgbaston and disabled with a controlled explosion at 5am on the morning after the Mulberry Bush and Tavern In the Town in Birmingham city centre were destroyed in a terrorist outrage that horrified Britain on November 21, 1974.
Neither fingerprints nor further evidence of significance were discovered when the remains of the bomb when examined at the time but it could have been tested with new technology if it had not been accidentally 'disposed of.'
Police are unwilling to make public the official report on the initial forensic checks on it in case further people are ever prosecuted . West Midlands Chief Constable Chris Sims admitted: "It is very unfortunate that it has gone missing. Others that have been checked forensically during the present reassessment were not suitable for further examination because of the way they had been stored. We may infer that this might also have been the situation with the bomb but we do not know.
"This case has, for obvious reasons, attracted a lot of theories and I realise that this unfortunate state of affairs adds to that. Part of the talk is that we do not want to find a solution. This happened within months of the formation of West Midlands Police and has been like an open wound ever since. I speak for everybody involved in the force when I say that we would dearly love to unlock this mystery and bring people to justice but we have found no new evidence that would assist.
"The bomb was fingerprint tested at the time and nothing of significance was found. It might be easier to make that report public but I cannot compromise our ability to take the investigation forward if new evidence came to light. That would have to be brand new information such as somebody providing a new personal account, be it of themselves or other people, that can take the investigation further." The bomb and other missing evidence is thought to have been disposed of around the tenth anniversary of the trial of six men arrested within hours of the pub bombings and subsequently charged, convicted and given life sentences for murder.
Sixteen years later, the convictions of the men, who became known as the Birmingham Six, were declared unsafe and quashed by the Court of Appeal. The discredited West Midlands Serious Crime Squad – later disbanded – was accused of mishandling the case, but no-one from the squad was prosecuted.
The Chief Constable admitted the initial inquiry was 'very clearly flawed in the way the men were interviewed and handled' but dismissed suggestions that five other suspects had been ignored by the detectives.
Mr Sims also invited the bereaved families or injured from the pub bombings to contact police if they wanted a detailed briefing on the case.
The offer came after he met Brian and Julie Hambleton whose 18-year-old sister Maxine was among those killed by the pub bombings. There was a row when they arrived over the number of people who could accompany them that was settled amicably but they were still furious when they left after the 90 minute face to face with the Chief Constable during which they learned no new investigation was planned.
Miss Hambleton said: "I am ashamed to be British. They have treated us with absolute disdain. Thirty-one pieces of evidence are missing and 135 other pieces of evidence are no longer any good. I don't think the police have any desire for justice. As far as they're concerned the case is closed."
Mr Hambleton said of the missing bomb: "It had not been put together with pliers. It was put together with human hands and could have provided the signature and identity of the person who made it."
