Birmingham Six man 'rejects final compensation offer'

A member of the Birmingham Six says he has rejected a final compensation offer for wrongful imprisonment.

Patrick Hill has vowed to take his case to the High Court unless the £500,000 amount is increased.

The 52-year-old says the offer is not a fair amount for a miscarriage of justice which ruined his life.

He and five others were convicted in 1975 for the murder of 22 people in two pub bombings.

The Court of Appeal quashed all the convictions in 1991.

Mr Hill told The Independent (UK): "The British government did not mind spending millions on carrying on with the charade for 16 years, but now they won't pay me a fraction of that."

He says he has already accepted £300,000 in interim damages, but has rejected a final offer of £549,932 and will start legal proceedings in February unless it is increased.

The newspaper says the other five members of the Birmingham Six are believed to have accepted their compensation offers.

A Home Office spokeswoman says it does not comment on individual cases, but compensation payouts are for loss of earning rather than punitive damages.