Tony Blair apologises to victims for IRA letters blunder
TONY Blair yesterday apologised to the victims of the IRA Hyde Park bombing for mistakes which allowed their suspected killer to escape justice.
He told MPs he took full responsibility for 200 “comfort letters” sent to fugitive terror suspects during the Northern Ireland peace process telling them they would not face prosecution.
The trial of former IRA paramilitary John Downey, the main suspect for the 1982 Hyde Park bombing which killed 11 British soldiers, collapsed when it emerged he had received one.
Former Prime Minister Mr Blair said yesterday he was sorry for mistakes in the controversial On The Runs scheme which saw letters sent to terror suspects who the police were still pursuing.
He accepted he had not put in place a structure which would have stopped the letters being sent to those who should never had received them.
“For that I take full responsibility and I apologise,” he said.
Tony Blair- On-the-runs scheme was crucial for NI peace
The purpose on everything we have done was to create peace in Northern Ireland so that there were not more victims of terrorism
But Mr Blair told MPs investigating the scheme that it was “absolutely critical to the peace process” and without it the IRA might have returned to violence.
He said: “The purpose on everything we have done was to create peace in Northern Ireland so that there were not more victims of terrorism.”
The former PM launched the letters scheme in 2000. It eventually saw 95 issued to suspects linked to almost 300 murders.
It was drawn up following pressure from Sinn Fein to allow fugitives to return to Northern Ireland on the grounds that, had they been in prison, they would have been released under the Good Friday Agreement.
An inquiry by Lady Justice Hallett concluded that the scheme was not unlawful.
Mr Blair had been accused of being disrespectful to Parliament by repeatedly ducking requests to appear in front of the committee. It eventually formally summoned him to appear.
