Victory for IRA bomb families
THE daughter of a soldier killed in the Hyde Park bombing wept yesterday as an IRA man was branded an “active participant” in the atrocity.
Sarah-Jane Young was told that John Downey was a part of a “wicked, pre-meditated plot” to slaughter members of the Household Cavalry in July 1982.
The landmark ruling was hailed as a victory for the forgotten victims of the IRA murder campaign.
Ms Young, 41, saw the murder of her father, Lance Corporal Jeffrey Young, 19, from her nursery window.
The bomb also killed Lieutenant Dennis Daly, 23, Squadron Quartermaster Corporal Roy Bright, 36, and Trooper Simon Tipper, 19 – all members of the Blues and Royals.
Downey, 67, was charged with the murders in 2013, but his Old Bailey trial collapsed in 2014 on the grounds he had been given a “letter of comfort” – assuring him he was not under investigation under the Good Friday Agreement.
The High Court ruling means Ms Young can sue for damages.
Mrs Justice Yip said: “There can be no doubt this was wicked, premediated attack. Four young men lost their lives and the lives of many others were indelibly altered.”
There will be a further hearing to determine the level of damages.
Ms Young’s mother Judith Jenkins, 58, of Porth, South Wales, said: “My emotions are very high. We never thought this day would happen.”
Mark Tipper, 59, the brother of Trooper Simon Tipper, said: “Since we lost the lads in 1982, it is the first time that we have found justice.
“We were denied it at the Old Bailey, various people have tried to protect this terrorist, but at the end of the day the justice system has backed the families and here we are today – it is the result we want.
“We now know that John Downey was the Hyde Park bomber. He now has to live with that.”
Mr Tipper said it had been a “hard six years for the families” since the collapse of Downey’s trial.
Downey, of Co Donegal, is in custody awaiting trial for the car bomb murders of two Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers in Enniskillen in 1972. He was convicted of IRA membership by an Irish court in the 1970s.