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Eight members of an IRA kidnap gang have been awarded £1.6 million compensation by the government.

The payouts include six figure sums to a prominent former Sinn Fein leader and former IRA hunger striker.

Victims of the IRA's reign of terror, many of whom are still seeking redress for injuries and bereavements, condemned the awards last night.

Jonathan Ganesh, who was injured in the Docklands bombing of 1996, said it was "absolutely appalling" that innocent victims of the IRA attacks were still fighting for justice while active republicans received compesation.

The Northern Ireland Office said it shared "the public concern and anger" over the payments.

The convictions of the eight - seven men and a woman - were overturned because the role of a British agent, codenamed Stakeknife, was hidden from the courts at the time of their trial.

Read more:Teacher accused of praising the IRA on Twitter is arrested following school probe