Iraqis to stand trial for murder of British troops

Lance Corporal Ben Hyde, 23, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was among the six British military policeman killed after an estimated 400 Iraqis descended on a police station in the town of Majar al-Kabir in June 2003.

The mob of young men, armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, stormed the police station in retaliation for an earlier skirmish with paratroopers which left at least four Iraqis dead.

The families of the six Red Caps killed in the melee have fought long and hard for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, and have repeatedly expressed their frustration at the slow progress of the case.

Last night the father of one described the latest developments as "very positive". Another said he hoped the perpetrators would face the death penalty.

Previously relatives have been highly critical of the UK Government after it emerged a previous British plan to arrest up to eight suspected killers was blocked for fear of stoking up controversy.

But announcing the arrests yesterday, a British Army spokesman reiterated the Government's commitment to seeking justice for the murdered men.

The spokesman said: "The UK Government is committed to seeing the killers of the six Royal Military Police personnel brought to justice, and our thoughts remain with the families of those who died.

"The case is now at the investigative stage where the judge reviews the evidence. He has indicated that eight suspects now in custody will go to trial."

One relative suggested the suspects have been in custody for nearly a year.

Lance Corporal Hyde's mother, Sandra, said the family had known about the arrests for some time.

"We are pleased this is happening, although there is no set date for a trial," she said. "We have been kept informed, but we were asked not to say anything in case it leaked out before they had captured everyone."

The five Red Caps killed alongside Lance Corporal Hyde were Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41, from Surrey; Corporal Russell Aston, 30, from Swadlincote, Derbyshire; Corporal Paul Long, 24, of Tyne and Wear; Lance Corporal Tom Keys, 20, from North Wales; and Corporal Simon Miller, 21, also from Tyne and Wear.

Cpl Miller's father, John, said he hoped his son's murderers would hang.

"The wound is wide open for me and my wife, and I cannot see a time that will change," he said. "I want to see them hanged. What they have done to my son is horrendous."

An Iraqi court first issued warrants for the arrest of eight Iraqis in February 2006, but no action was taken. In 2007 Foreign Office documents revealed a British plan to unilaterally arrest the suspects was turned down for fear of causing controversy.

Relatives claimed several suspects were related to powerful local men, and said any trial could reveal up to 100 Iraqis died in the original skirmish, rather than the four officially claimed.

Lance Corporal Keys's father Reg, who stood against Tony Blair in the 2005 General Election, said yesterday's announcement was "very positive" and that seeing someone convicted for his son's murder would "help immensely".

He said: "At last there seems to be serious intent to bring these alleged killers to justice."