A HAEMOPHILIAC who contracted hepatitis C after he received contaminated blood from a US prison is stepping up his call for a public inquiry into the scandal.

Michael Kenwright, of Chester Road, Grappenhall, received a clotting agent known as factor eight in 1975.

It has since been traced back to the plasma donor centre in the Cummins unit, at the Arkansas Department of Correction.

A new documentary, written, directed and produced by American journalist and filmmaker Kelly Duda, claims to uncover the real story behind the contamination.

As a victim of the tainted blood scandal, Mr Kenwright was invited to a special preview of the documentary where he met with Duda to discuss his findings.

In Factor 8 - The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal, Duda exposes the corruption that allowed prisoners infected with HIV, Aids and hepatitis to give blood that was then sold on to Canada, Europe and Asia.

Mr Kenwright said: "I was disgusted when I watched the film and saw what was known, yet we were told the blood was totally safe.

"We had no idea it even came from a prison, let alone the fact that it was infected. The warnings that had been given about the blood were totally ignored.

"It was about time this scandal was uncovered and Kelly Duda has done that.

"When I spoke to him after the preview he told me that he hopes to make a film about the effects of the contaminated blood that was shipped over here. Maybe then we can get to the bottom of how much the UK Government knew."

In May, Mr Kenwright, along with the Manor House Group - a support group for haemophiliacs - demonstrated in Glasgow to coincide with the arrival of the one time Governor of Arkansas, former US president Bill Clinton.

The documentary claims that Mr Clinton must have been aware of how the blood plasma unit was operating, as he was Governor of Arkansas at the time and many of his friends served on the prison board.

Mr Clinton has never publicly commented on the allegations and the documentary is yet to be released in the UK.

sharker@guardiangrp.co.uk