Understandable outrage greeted the news that IRA terrorist Feilim O'Hadhmaill had been freed less than six years into a 25-year jail sentence.

O'Hadhmaill was caught in Accrington with a cache of exposives, and was clearly part of an operation which would have inflicted enormous damage on the mainland .

It was, therefore, easy to sympathise with Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans when he described the release as a "terrible injustice".

It was difficult for Accrington people to understand such a man lived in their midst. Blood ran cold. It was a case of: This sort of thing doesn't happen here, in the middle of a largely law-abiding community.

But the political climate surrounding Northern Ireland has since changed drastically.

The release of hardened terrorists -- who served on both sides -- was introduced as a cornerstone of the peace process. And there is no doubt that, so far, it has helped to bring the opposing factions closer, and led to a reintroduction of government for Northern Ireland, albeit fragile. That is why O'Hadhmaill's freedom has to be seen as part of a global picture.

His release may seem premature to those who rubbed shoulders with such a dangerous man. But, as Hyndburn MP Greg Pope says, sometimes hard choices have to be made to keep the peace process on track.

That process inevitably leads to leniency for those who don't deserve it. But we must keep in mind the wider political picture and the ultimate goal -- a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

That will prove difficult for those who suffered at the hands of terrorists of Republican and Loyalist persuasion, in Northern Ireland and on the mainland.

But they must realise it needed drastic measures to break the seemingly impossible deadlock that existed for more than 30 years.

If the release of convicted terrorists leads to a lasting peace, the move will have been worthwhile.

The alternative is unthinkable.