It could not be reported while the six-week hearing was underway. 

Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine was killed in one of the twin blasts, branded him “scum” and asked him, “how do you sleep at night?” as she filmed him on her mobile phone. 

The Justice for the 21 campaigner said to him: “You did all that for the Birmingham Six and you’ve done nothing for 21 victims who were slaughtered in cold blood.” 

On the evening of November 21 1974 two bombs exploded inside the Mulberry Bush pub and the Tavern in the Town, two city centre joints popular with young people. 

A total of 220 people were injured in addition to the 21 fatalities – seven women and 14 men – making it the worst terrorist attack in England. 

Six men, all of whom were Catholics from Northern Ireland, were convicted of the bombings in 1975 and each sentenced to life in prison. 

Following an appeal, their convictions were quashed in 1991 and they were released after spending nearly 17 years behind bars. 

Mr Mullin, an MP turned journalist, played a major role in the fight for their freedom. 

During the inquests, he was asked by barrister Leslie Thomas QC if he had made a deal with the IRA and those who placed the bombs in the pubs to keep their identities a secret while they remained alive. 

Mr Mullin answered: “That’s right, yes,” saying he had interviewed around 17 people who had planted IRA bombs in the Birmingham area in the run up to the attacks. 

He said: “My primary interest was in rescuing these six other innocent victims of the pub bombings. I was never under the illusion at any stage that I could bring the perpetrators to justice.” 

Recalling his time spent working on clearing the names of the innocent men, the former MP for Sunderland South said: “”I would say that I volunteered an understanding that I was not interested in naming the names, but what I wanted was to hear from the people who I believed did actually carry out the bombings.”

The hearing concluded yesterday with the jury ruling that a botched warning call before the bombs caused or contributed to the deaths of the 21.

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