The sister of a young woman who was killed in the Birmingham pub bombings believes both she and Paddy Hill were “victims of a British establishment whitewash”.
Julie Hambleton, whose older sister Maxine (18) was among the 21 people killed in the IRA’s November 1974 attacks on the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town, said she and Mr Hill, who died on Sunday at his home in Scotland aged 80, had both been failed by the “law, the police and successive governments”.
Ms Hambleton is part of the Justice 4 the 21 group, which campaigns for the truth about what remains England’s largest unsolved mass murder of the 20th century.
Belfast-born Paddy Hill and five others – collectively known as the Birmingham Six – spent 17 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit before their sentences were quashed in 1991.
He first met Ms Hambleton in 2014 at a time when she still believed he was responsible for the murder of her sister and 20 others.
“The press and the police had done a fantastic job of concealing the truth, so when I first met Paddy I believed he was responsible for Maxine’s murder,” she told The Irish News.
“But the meeting turned out to be the best thing myself and my brother ever did.”
Mr Hill gave assurances that along with his lawyer Gareth Peirce, he would share the many documents he had gathered over the years to support his case.
“Paddy kept every promise he made that day and he became a staunch supporter of our campaign,” says Ms Hambleton.
“He provided significant snippets which were truly eye opening and turned us around – it became clear to us for the first time that police had falsified evidence, while previously we’d been of the opinion that the police wouldn’t tell lies.”
She says she grew to “respect” Mr Hill and “fully understands” the anger he felt.
“We kept in touch and while I would hesitate to describe him as a friend, his soul was in alignment with mine – our goal was the same in that we both sought the truth,” she said.
Ms Hambleton said she and Paddy Hill were united by their quest for the truth.
“It’s a terrible indictment that still today there is sectarianism and this blight on society that separates communities because of ideologies that are cemented, yet we are all victims – and Paddy Hill was a victim,” she said.
“Like us, Paddy was victim of a cover-up – we are all victims of a British establishment whitewash”.
Ms Hambleton continues to campaign for a public inquiry into the twin bomb attacks to years ago for which no-one has yet been brought to justice.
