Soldiers' families believe Mr Blair could be guilty of 'malfeasance in public office' by misusing constitutional power


The families of British soldiers killed in Iraq have called for Tony Blair to face legal action over the war as they branded him ‘the world’s worst terrorist’.

Grieving relatives, who had feared the report on the war would be a whitewash, yesterday hailed Sir John Chilcot’s scathing criticism of the former prime minister as a complete vindication.

But they expressed their anger towards Mr Blair, saying he will ‘never be forgiven’ and insisting that their loved ones died ‘in vain’.

Many could not contain their emotion as they watched Sir John deliver a summary of his findings, which finally gives them some answers after years of delays and which they feel supports their long-held belief that Mr Blair led British soldiers into the war in 2003 on flimsy grounds.

Dozens of family members of the 179 soldiers killed in Iraq stood in solidarity at a press conference after being handed copies of the long-awaited report, with many clutching photographs of their deceased loved ones.

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Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon, 19, was killed in Iraq holds the hand of Sarah O'Connor, whose brother Bob also died in the conflict

At an emotional press conference following the report's release held by some of the relatives and their lawyers, Ms O'Connor said Blair should 'look us in the eye', as she described him as 'the world's worst terrorist'

Bereft: Dawn Holmes, the heartbroken mother of L Cpl Sarah Holmes, who died in Iraq, cries as she clutches a picture of her child after the Chilcot report was released while Sarah O' Connor, whose brother Sergeant Bob O'Connor also died, kisses his picture

Sarah O’Connor, whose brother Bob, a 38-year-old sergeant, died alongside nine others when their military plane was shot down near Baghdad in 2005, fought back tears as she condemned Mr Blair’s behaviour and his failure to offer families a face-to-face apology.

‘There is one terrorist in this world that the world needs to be aware of, and his name is Tony Blair – the world’s worst terrorist,’ she said, to claps and cheers from other relatives. ‘If he is so sure of his decision, why is he not here, looking at our eyes and actually seeing our faces?’

Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Ms O'Connor accused the former premier of failing to 'look us in the eye'.

She said: 'There is one final thing I would like to say to Mr Blair. He said yesterday that while he takes responsibility he can look the families in the eye. Well, looking down the lens of a camera is not looking us in the eye.

'So, Mr Blair, challenge accepted. I've thrown down the gauntlet. Come and look me in the eye.'

She added: 'He's had enough requests from us, he's always refused.

'He wouldn't look us in the eye when he came to give his evidence and he wasn't there yesterday. He was protected by signed-off, lawyer-approved, damage limitation ... a two-hour, rambling indictment of the inquiry findings.

'He's so disillusioned by his own sense of self-power. There's a disconnect because looking down the lens of a camera is not looking people in the eye.'

She told Mr Blair: 'So come meet us. Do it in a TV studio. Do it where you choose. But do it.'

Blair, pictured leaving his home this morning, was branded a 'terrorist' by Ms O'Connor. She today called for him to 'look families in the eye'

Relatives and friends of the servicemen and women who died in iraq outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre

Ms O'Connor, pictured holding a photograph of herself and her brother, demanded of Blair 'look at our eyes and faces. Look me in the eye'

Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son Gordon died when a roadside bomb destroyed his vehicle in 2004, said Mr Blair would never be forgiven for his actions.

Mrs Gentle called for the former Labour leader to be held accountable as he offered a meagre apology and insisted that British troops had not died ‘in vain’.

She said: ‘He will be remembered not as a prime minister but as a person who sent them on an illegal war. I would love to see him in court. I hope he goes to bed at night and thinks “what the hell have I done?” because he’ll never be forgiven.’

Reg Keys – whose son 20-year-old Lance Corporal Thomas Keys from Gwynedd, Wales, was killed as he guarded a police station in 2003, four days before his 21st birthday and two weeks before he was due home – said it was clear his son ‘died in vain’ after Mr Blair ‘deliberately misled’ the country.

Mr Keys, who has fought tirelessly for the truth and stood against Mr Blair in his Sedgefield constituency in the 2005 general election, added: ‘When we look at Iraq on our TV screens today, the 200-plus deaths that took place the other day [in an Islamic State bomb attack in Baghdad], I can only conclude that sadly, my son died in vain.

‘Now we have had the endorsement of a thorough, robust inquiry, which has endorsed all the families’ fears that these young men and women were deployed on the basis of a falsehood. It has given us a launchpad to go forward and search for yet more answers.’

Victoria Jones, sister of Leading Aircraftman Martin Beard who was killed in the Iraq war, holds a copy of the Chilcot Report as she is comforted by a friend

Roger Bacon (centre left), whose son Major Matthew Bacon was killed in 2005, said 'We were proud when our husbands, sons and daughters signed up to serve our country. But we cannot be proud of the way our government has treated them'

Relatives of military personnel killed in the Iraq war listen to the emotional press conference following the release of the report

The families thanked Sir John and said they were 'pleased' with the way the report was conducted, but added in a statement: 'Never again must so many mistakes be allowed to lead to the sacrifice of so many British Lives, and the destruction of a country with no aim'

The families were yesterday praised for acting with ‘patience, dignity and courage’ despite being left in the dark about the report’s contents before its publication.

They are considering taking legal action against Mr Blair on the grounds he misled Parliament to justify the invasion. Their lawyer Matthew Jury said that the group will consider all legal options after undertaking a ‘full and forensic review’ of Chilcot’s findings in the coming weeks.

The soldiers’ relatives believe Mr Blair could be guilty of ‘malfeasance in public office’ by misusing his constitutional powers, which led to mass casualties.

Their call for him to be taken to court was backed by Labour politician Paul Flynn who said the report was an ‘utter condemnation’ of Mr Blair’s decision to invade Iraq. The shadow Commons leader, who voted against going to war, said: ‘I think there should be serious consideration of him being prosecuted for this.’

Former SNP leader Alex Salmond said some form of Parliamentary action could be taken, adding: ‘These were decisions made by a human being and that prime minister was Tony Blair.’

The relatives said that the three hours they had been given to read the report was not enough to take it all in

The families outside the conference centre today. They said they needed to study the report further before deciding what to do next

The International Criminal Court, however, has said Mr Blair would not face war crime charges as his decision to go to war is outside its jurisdiction.

Despite this, the ICC is probing more than 1,000 allegations that UK forces tortured and mistreated Iraqi prisoners, meaning many soldiers could be put on trial despite being cleared in Britain.

Countless delays to the publication of the report – initially intended for 2011 – have added to the anguish of families as the inquiry team was locked in debate about the report’s content with Whitehall.

But families yesterday said their fears that the report would be an ‘Establishment cover-up’ had finally been laid to rest.

John Brown, 72, whose 34-year-old son Nick Brown, an SAS soldier, died in a firefight in 2008, said: ‘I am pleasantly surprised. I thought it was going to be a whitewash.’ But he joined numerous other relatives in pointing the finger of blame at Mr Blair.

‘It is difficult to believe that a prime minister of ours could treat the country as his own personal plaything,’ he said. ‘He wilfully lied in Parliament.’

Mr Brown, himself a former soldier, added: ‘I know the pitfalls and risks of going to war and it is hard enough when it is justified.

‘But my son didn’t die for Queen and country – he died for the vanity and greed of Tony Blair.’

Rose Gentle holds up a photograph of her son. He died when the Snatch Land Rover he was in was destroyed by a roadside bomb

Families of some of the soldiers killed in the Iraq War plan to take legal action against Tony Blair, following today's long-awaited report into the conflict. Pictured are protesters outside the former Prime Minister's home yesterday

Peter Brierley, 65, the father of Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley, 28, who was one of the first soldiers to die in the conflict, said: ‘If we can get [Mr Blair] in the dock, it will be a great day.’

Roger Bacon, whose son Major Matthew Bacon died when a bomb exploded beside his vehicle near Basra, said: ‘Never again must so many mistakes be allowed to sacrifice British lives and lead to the destruction of a country for no positive end.’

The parents of Alec MacLachlan, from Llanelli, Wales – who had served in Iraq as a paratrooper before returning as a private security guard in 2006, when he was kidnapped and later killed – said it was clear from the report that Mr Blair was ‘George Bush’s poodle’.

Ronnie Barker, whose son, Private Lee Ellis, 23, died in 2006, said she broke down in tears when she read the report. She said: ‘We went in thinking it was going to be a whitewash but I actually cried.’

She added that she too ‘would like to see Tony Blair sent to court’.

Just weeks before the publication was finally delivered, the families were once again insulted when officials said that they would be charged hundreds of pounds just to read the 2.6million-word document.

Relatives were told they would have to shell out £767 – almost twice the average weekly wage – for a hard copy of the report or read it online for free like the general public.

But Downing Street was eventually forced into an embarrassing U-turn amid fury over the plan.

A demonstrator dressed as Tony Blair, with blood on his hands and carrying wads of money protests prior to the report's release

179 dead: The brave British servicemen and women who lost their lives in the Iraq War

The six-year Iraq War claimed the lives of 179 British servicemen and women before the conflict came to an end in May 2009.

According to a study of the war-torn nation, an estimated 461,000 Iraqis were also killed between March 2003 and June 2011 as a direct or indirect result of the fighting.

Here are the faces of the British men and women who died for their country:

(left to right top row) Captain Philip Guy, Naval Rating Ian Seymour, Warrant Officer 2nd Class Mark Stratford (Silhouette), Marine Sholto Hedenskog, Lance Bombardier Llywelyn Evans, Colour Sgt John Cecil, Major Jason Ward, Sergeant Les Hehir, Lt Philip Green, Lt Tony King; Lt James Williams, Lt Philip West, Lt Marc Lawrence, Lt Andrew Wilson, Flight Lt Kevin Main, Flight Lt Dave Williams (Silhouette), Sapper Luke Allsopp, Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth, Sergeant Steven Roberts, Lance-Corporal Barry Stephen;

(left to right second row) Corporal Stephen Allbutt, Trooper David Clarke, Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull, Royal Marine Christopher Maddison, Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley, Major Stephen Ballard, Staff Sergeant Chris Muir, Lance Corporal Karl Shearer, Fusilier Kelan John Turrington, Lance Corporal Ian Malone, Piper Christopher Muzvuru, Lt Alexander Tweedie, Lance Corporal James McCue, Private Andrew Kelly, Gunner Duncan Pritchard (Silhouette), Corporal David Sheppard (Silhouette), Leonard Harvey, Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell, Corporal Russell Aston, Corporal Paul Graham Long;

(left to right third row) Corporal Simon Miller, Lance Corporal Benjamin McGowan Hyde, Lance Corporal Thomas Keys, Captain James Linton, Private Jason Smith (silhouette), Captain David Jones, Major Matthew Titchener, Warrant Officer Colin Wall, Corporal Dewi Pritchard, Fusilier Russell Beeston, Sergeant John Nightingale, Corporal Ian Plank, Private Ryan Thomas, Major James Stenner (Silhouette), Sergeant Norman Patterson (Silhouette), Lance Corporal Andrew Craw, Rifleman Vincent Windsor, Sapper Robert Thompson, Corporal Richard Ivell, Fusilier Gordon Gentle;

(left to right fourth row) Flight Lt Kristian Gover (Silhouette), Private Christopher Rayment, Private Lee O'Callaghan, Private Marc Ferns, Lance Corporal Paul Thomas, Fusilier Steven Jones, Corporal Marc Taylor, Gunner David Lawrence (Silhouette), Private Kevin McHale, Staff Sergeant Denise Rose, Private Paul Lowe, Sergeant Stuart Gray, Private Scott McArdle, Private Pita Tukatukawaqa (Silhouette), Sergeant Paul Connolly (Silhouette), Squadron Leader Patrick Marshall, Flight Lt David Stead, Flight Lt Andrew Smith, Flight Lt Paul Pardoel, Master Engineer Gary Nicholson;

(left to right fifth row) Chief Technician Richard Brown, Flight Sergeant Mark Gibson, Sergeant Robert O'Connor, Corporal David Williams, Acting Lance-Corporal Steven Jones, Private Mark Dobson, Guardsman Anthony Wakefield, Lance-Corporal Alan Brackenbury, Signaller Paul Didsbury, 2nd Lt Richard Shearer, Private Philip Hewett, Private Leon Spicer, Fusilier Donal Meade, Fusilier Stephen Manning, Major Matthew Bacon, Captain Ken Masters, Sergeant Chris Hickey, Sergeant John Jones, Lance Corporal Allan Douglas, Corporal Gordon Pritchard;

(left to right sixth row) Trooper Carl Smith, Captain Richard Holmes, Private Lee Ellis, Lt Richard Palmer, Flight Lt Sarah-Jane Mulvihill, Wing Commander John Coxen, Lt Commander Darren Chapham, Lt David Dobson, Marine Paul Collins, Private Joseva Lewaicei, Private Adam Morris, Lt Tom Mildinhall, Lance Corporal Paul Farrelly, Corporal John Cosby, Corporal Matthew Cornish, Gunner Samuela Vanua, Gunner Stephen Wright, Gunner Lee Thornton, Lance Corporal Dennis Brady, Lt Tom Tanswell;

(left to right seventh row) Kingsman Jamie Hancock, Staff Sergeant Sharron Elliott, Warrant Officer 2nd Class Lee Hopkins, Marine Jason Hylton, Corporal Ben Nowak, Sergeant Jonathon Hollingsworth (Silhouette), Sergeant Graham Hesketh, Sergeant Wayne Rees, Kingsman Alex Green, Private Michael Tench, 2nd Lt Jonathan Bracho-Cooke, Private Luke Daniel Simpson, Rifleman Daniel Coffey, Private Jonathon Dany Wysoczan, Kingsman Danny Wilson, Rifleman Aaron Lincoln, Corporal Kris O'Neill, Second Lieutenant Joanna Yorke Dyer, Kingsman Adam James Smith, Private Eleanor Dlugosz;

(left to right eighth row) Colour Sergeant Mark Powell, Sergeant Mark J McLaren, Corporal Ben Leaning, Trooper Kristen Turton, Kingsman Alan Joseph Jones, Rifleman Paul Donnachie, Major Nick Bateson, Private Kevin Thompson, Corporal Jeremy Brookes, Corporal Rodney Wilson, Lance Corporal James Cartwright, Major Paul Harding, Corporal John Rigby, Corporal Paul Joszko, Private Scott Kennedy, Private James Kerr, Rifleman Edward Vakabua, Lance Corporal Ryan Francis, Corporal Christopher Read, Aircraftsman Peter McFerran;