Could IRA Birmingham pub bombings inquest resume?

Two bombs exploded at the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town in November 1974

Twenty-one people were killed in November 1974 when two bombs exploded in pubs in Birmingham city centre. More than 40 years later, the families of the dead want the inquest into their deaths to be resumed. The city's coroner will decide later this week whether to do so.

An inquest was opened and adjourned at the time, but because the case was subject to a criminal investigation which resulted in the conviction of six men, it was never resumed.

Even though the convictions of the Birmingham Six were quashed in 1991, the inquests remained closed.

No-one has been prosecuted for the IRA bombing and no-one has been arrested. And no-one has admitted to carrying it out.

Maxine Hambleton was 18 when she was killed in the 1974 bombings. Her sister Julie, who was 11 at the time, described her as "like another mother"

Julie Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine died in the attacks, said: "The lives of 20 families changed on that night and they have never been told the truth about what happened. There are many more - the casualties and those who came to their aid on the night - whose lives were changed forever, too.

"We believe it is only right for the inquest to be reopened, even after the passing of the years, because it is an opportunity for the truth to be told and a chance for all those left bereaved to find out more about what happened to their loved ones.

"We cannot move on until we have explored every avenue to try to get to the truth."

The senior coroner for Birmingham, Louise Hunt, will hear from the families of three of the people murdered in the attacks - Maxine Hambleton, Trevor Thrupp and James Craig - as well as other "interested persons".

Human rights lawyer Kevin Winters, who has represented families of victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, said he believed there was a basis for an inquest, which would provide families with access to certain "disclosure materials" he claimed had been kept from them.

"There's an ongoing duty on behalf of the authorities, and especially West Midlands Police, to actually get to the bottom of what happened. These families have received a very poor service in terms of justice and truth and closure - they've got nothing near it at all," Mr Winters said.

West Midlands Police has confirmed the case is still open but will not comment on the coroner's review.

The three-day hearing is due to begin on 10 February and Mrs Hunt's decision will be delivered on 24 February.

Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, Johnny Walker, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny and Billy Power were wrongly convicted of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings