Backing for 'top secret' call at bombs inquiry

PUBLIC confidence in Yorkshire's largest police force is "very likely to be damaged" unless the coroner investigating the July 7 London bombings hears top secret evidence in private, a court has heard.

Lawyers for West Yorkshire Police made the claim yesterday in support of MI5, which has called for Coroner Lady Justice Hallett to hold closed sessions to study confidential information.

Two High Court judges heard that MI5 is not trying to escape scrutiny but wants to make all relevant highly sensitive material available to Lady Justice Hallett even if it reveals failings.

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Home Secretary Theresa May is seeking a judicial review to overturn the coroner's ruling that she cannot exclude the families of the 52 bombing victims from the inquest while she examines evidence that could damage national security if made public.

Lawyers for Mrs May and MI5 argued Lady Justice Hallett would not be able to reach accurate conclusions without seeing the secret documents, which cannot be revealed in open sessions.

James Eadie QC said MI5 was "positively and actively" seeking a way to make available to the coroner, "for good or ill", documents that were "important to a proper understanding of judgments about their conduct". He said it was not an attempt by MI5 to "avoid" or "minimise" scrutiny of their actions and warned that the inquests would be "fundamentally flawed" if the coroner could not consider the material.

John Beggs QC, for West Yorkshire Police, supported MI5's arguments, saying that the highly sensitive material was vital to explain why two of the four suicide bombers, the plot ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan and accomplice Shehzad Tanweer, were not followed after surveillance officers watched them meeting known terror suspects 17 months before the bombings.

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"As we see it," he said, "public confidence in West Yorkshire Police is very likely to be damaged by our complete inability properly to advance a narrative which will in practice contextualise the actions of the chief constable and his officers and his staff."

The coroner ruled earlier this month that she could exclude the public from the inquests if it was in the interests of national security, but not "interested persons" like the bereaved relatives, who are legally entitled to be represented at the hearing.

Judges are expected to rule on Ms May's application next week. The inquests will resume today.