A man walked free from the British Court of Appeal yesterday even though he admitted his guilt on IRA bomb plot charges.
Mr Nicholas Mullen conceded he was properly convicted in June 1990 but argued that he had been illegally extradited from Zimbabwe, where he had fled with his girlfriend and young daughter.
Cambridge-born Mr Mullen (50) was jailed for 30 years for conspiracy to cause explosions in London.
He smiled as Lord Justice Rose, Mr Justice Colman and Mr Justice Maurice Kay held that his conviction was unsafe and should be quashed because the way he was deported violated both international and Zimbabwean law.
Later, greeted by supporters outside London's Law Courts, Mr Mullen said he was "relieved and happy".
The appeal judges held that it must have been appreciated by the British intelligence service, and probably by the British police, that keeping Mr Mullen from any legal advice after his detention in Zimbabwe was in breach of Zimbabwean law or, at the least, contrary to Mr Mullen's entitlement as a matter of human rights.
They had procured Mr Mullen's unlawful deportation in a manner which represented "a blatant and extremely serious failure to adhere to the rule of law".