PEACE campaigner Colin Parry has strongly refuted claims that his son's life is being undervalued, as the cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry threatens to spiral out of control.

Shadow Cabinet Minister Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley, last week slammed lawyers for the escalating cost of the inquiry into the events of January 30, 1972, when paratroopers charged a peace march in Derry, killing 13 people.

The cost of the inquiry now stands at more than £60 million, with two years yet to run, and Mr Evans said last week: "I find it a gross insult that the life of young Tim Parry, who was killed in the Warrington bomb, was valued at £7,500 - less than what one of these top lawyers earns in a week."

But Mr Parry disagreed that there was a clear link, saying: "I think it's entirely misleading to compare the cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry with any compensation costs that we received for Tim.

"The rising legal bill is a separate issue and the fact that these lawyers milk the system is a fact of life. Nor should we be surprised, as the process has always been hideously expensive.

"But if we finally get some clear answers about Bloody Sunday, maybe we can then say that the money was worth it."

Bloody Sunday has re-entered the public eye of late, with a recent TV drama portraying a controversial version of the violence in full and disturbing detail.

Mr Parry added: "I'm not interested in dramatised events on television - who can vouch for their accuracy?

"But it would be impossible to cap the cost of the inquiry and equally difficult to put a price on someone's life."