No charges in Birmingham pub bombings reinvestigation

No transgression charges volition beryllium brought pursuing a reinvestigation into the Birmingham pub bombings, owed to insufficient evidence, prosecutors say.

Twenty 1 radical were killed and much than 200 injured erstwhile bombs went disconnected astatine 2 pubs connected 21 November 1974.

It remains 1 of the worst azygous losses of beingness during the Troubles.

There was anticipation a caller constabulary probe could bring justice, aft inquests were yet held successful 2019.

Six guiltless men - known arsenic the Birmingham Six - were released successful 1991 erstwhile their convictions for the bombings were quashed. No-one has since been criminally convicted implicit the attack.

In November 2022, West Midlands Police submitted a record of grounds to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) astir an unnamed individual's suspected relation successful the bombings.

However, the CPS has said that it could not positively place who planted the bombs.

"Our thoughts stay with the families and victims of this unspeakable atrocity," said West Midlands Police adjunct main constable Jayne Meir.

"We stay committed to bringing to justness those liable for the Birmingham pub bombings."

The CPS said it would proceed to enactment constabulary should determination beryllium further lines of inquiry.

Twin blasts tore done the Tavern successful the Town and Mulberry Bush pubs 50 years ago. A 3rd weaponry failed to spell disconnected and was recovered, but aboriginal lost, by West Midlands Police.

The unit mislaid a tribunal entreaty successful 2020 to unit the writer Chris Mullin to manus implicit root worldly from the 1980s which was said to incorporate a confession from the existent perpetrator of the crimes.

The Guardian reported that successful a missive to the victims' families, the CPS said that it did not person capable grounds to place who made the confession to Mr Mullin and that it was improbable that a caller tribunal bid compelling him to uncover the root would beryllium granted.

Nick Price, caput of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: "The Birmingham pub bombings were a violent atrocity which chopped abbreviated the lives of 21 radical and injured galore much who were simply seeking to bask their evening.

"The onslaught has brought specified unimaginable grief and our thoughts stay with the family, friends and each 1 of the victims."

The victims' families, done the Justice4the21 run group, person agelong been calling for a nationalist enquiry into the attack, which was spotlighted aft the announcement of an enquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing successful February this year.