Member of Maguire Seven receives papal honour

A great-grandmother who was falsely imprisoned for nine years for an IRA bombing has been awarded a papal medal.

Anne Maguire and six members of her family were wrongly convicted of helping to make IRA bombs used in the Guildford bombing.

John Paul II approved the issue of the Bene Merenti medal to Mrs Maguire just three days before his death in April.

The medal was presented by the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, at Mrs Maguire's parish church at Kilburn in north London this morning.

The Cardinal said the medal had been presented in recognition of her 'remarkable ability to forgive' as well as for her community work.

In 1991, the Maguire family, who had all served their sentences, were cleared of all charges.

Earlier this year, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, issued a public apology to the Maguire family and the Guildford Four for the miscarriages of justice they had suffered.