Fury of Iraq War victims’ families ahead of today’s publication of Chilcot report
Those who lost loved ones say they want Blair in the dock
RELATIVES of Brits killed in the Iraq war arrived in London this morning with their wait for answers almost over.
Families insisted they don’t know what is in Sir John Chilcot's historic report but say they want former PM Tony Blair in the dock for war crimes.
Karen Thornton, whose son Gunner Lee Thornton died in 2006 after being shot while on patrol in Iraq, said he should face charges if it is proved he lied.
She told the BBC: "I just think it was all based on lies, I think everything that comes out of that man's mouth has been a lie regarding Iraq.
"I think the people who lied should be held to account for what they have done."
Asked what that would mean, she said: "Charged with war crimes. They are responsible for the deaths of so many people."
John Miller's son, Simon, was one of six military policemen murdered in the country in 2003.
Mr Miller said he hoped Mr Blair would be put on trial at the International Criminal Court.
He said: "There's got to be some kind of court case, be that In The Hague or elsewhere. I want to see him in the dock."
The report is being unveiled by Sir John today at the Queen Elizabeth II centre in Westminster.
The parents of Senior Aircraftsman Peter McFerran, 24, from North Wales, who was killed in southern Iraq in 2007, wore "Justice for Peter" T-shirts as they entered the building.
Mr McFerran's mother Ann, 64, said she was "apprehensive" and "didn't know what to expect".
She said it was her husband Bob's 73rd birthday and added: "The right outcome would be a good birthday present."
Asked what that outcome would be, she replied: "Justice for Peter."
Mark Thompson, whose son, Private Kevin Thompson, 21, from Lancaster, died in 2007 from injuries he suffered when his truck was attacked in Basra, said he felt "nervous".
He said: "We've all been told nothing. We know just as much as you do. It's nerve-wracking for all the families.
"It is going to be very nervous because none of us know what to expect."
Mr Thompson added: "There's not a lot to say, really, because it's going to take a long time to get through it all."
The long-awaited report will be boycotted by relatives of some of the 179 Britons killed in the conflict, who fear it will be a "whitewash".
Master Engineer Gary Nicholson, 42, from Hull, was one of 10 servicemen who died when their Hercules C-130 aircraft was shot down in 2005.
RELATED STORIES
His mother Julia said: "It will be a whitewash. I'm absolutely disgusted.
"Tony Blair has got blood on his hands. He will have covered his back and Bush's back."
Janice Procter, whose son, Private Michael Tench, 18, from Sunderland, was one of the youngest British soldiers to die in Iraq when he was killed in 2007, said: "It's been horrendous, I'm very apprehensive about this.
"Blair has put 179 kids to the slaughter - there's no justice. It is not going to give me any closure or comfort."
She added: "I'm not going down on the day, I'm not going to waste two hours of my life reading it."
The father of Lieutenant Alexander Tweedie, 25, from Hawick in the Scottish borders who died in 2003, said he expected the report to be damning of Tony Blair.
Gavin Tweedie said: "I'm hoping that Tony Blair is heavily criticised but more than that I don't know what to expect.
"I think he will be but we have to wait and see."
Mr Tweedie said he was unable to make the trip to London but had asked for a copy of the report to be sent to him and his wife.
Sarah O'Connor, whose brother Sergeant Bob O'Connor was killed in action when his Hercules plane was shot down in 2005, said the length of time it had taken to complete the report made "a mockery of the inquiry system".
She said: "For many people this has been - from the first knock on the door - that next step. But it has taken so long.
"At the beginning, Sir John came around to the families and said we were at the forefront of the investigation. I had such faith in this process.
"But it has been like the toner cartridge in a printer. What has started off strong and bold has now become just a faint line.
"The length of time it has taken to get this has made a mockery of the inquiry system - for Iraq, for Rotherham.
"Anybody who has found themselves on either side of the scales, this has taken too long. It's been a farce."
Iraq Inquiry timeline
Here are the key events leading up to the publication of Sir John Chilcot’s report:
June 15 2009: Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces the establishment of the inquiry to identify lessons that can be learned from the Iraq war, with Sir John Chilcot confirmed as chair of the panel
July 30 2009: Sir John Chilcot launches the inquiry, saying that he will hold as many public meetings as possible and that the panel "will not shy away from making criticism"
November 24 2009: Public hearings commence
January 12 2010: Alastair Campbell denies he sought to "beef up" the government's dossier on Saddam Hussein's supposed weapons of mass destruction
January 18, 2010: Jonathan Powell, Chief of staff to Tony Blair, denies an attempt was made to "bully" attorney general Lord Goldsmith into authorising the war
January 21, 2010: Jack Straw, former Foreign Secretary, admits to the inquiry that he only "very reluctantly" came round to supporting the invasion of Iraq
January 29, 2010: A defiant Tony Blair tells the inquiry that he has no regrets over removing Saddam Hussein and would do the same again
March 5, 2010: Gordon Brown expresses his sorrow for the loss of life in the conflict in Iraq while insisting it had been the "right decision" to overthrow Saddam Hussein
July 30, 2010: Sir John Prescott discloses to the panel that he privately harboured doubts about the intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003
January 18, 2011: Sir John Chilcot says the inquiry is "disappointed" that it cannot publish the notes Mr Blair sent to President George W Bush nor the records of their discussions
January 21, 2011: Blair is recalled to the inquiry where he is jeered and heckled by relatives in the hearing room as he said he "deeply and profoundly" regretted the loss of life in the Iraq War
February 2, 2011: At the last public hearing, Straw tells the inquiry that just days before the invasion of Iraq he advised Blair that they need not necessarily send in British troops with the Americans
November 16, 2011: The Iraq Inquiry says it will not publish the report until summer of 2012 - a delay of six months - because of a wrangling over the release of secret documents
July 13, 2012: Sir John Chilcot writes to David Cameron alerting him that the report will be delayed until the middle of 2013 once a process of 'Maxwellisation' is completed
January 20, 2015: Sir John Chilcot writes to David Cameron confirming that there is "no realistic prospect" of delivering the report before the general election in May
October 28, 2015: Sir John Chilcot writes to Mr Cameron setting out a timetable for completion of the report
May 6, 2016: The chairman of the inquiry writes again to the Prime Minister, this time confirming a date for publication of July 6, 2016
July 6, 2016: The inquiry committee intends to publish the Report of the Iraq Inquiry. It will include all but the most sensitive information which could threaten national security
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.