Hyde Park IRA bomb suspect faces civil action

A MAN accused of being behind the IRA Hyde Park bomb could face a High Court hearing into his alleged role in the blast that killed four British soldiers and injured several others.

A criminal trial against John Downey, 66, collapsed due to government and police errors, but he now faces a civil action after Legal Aid chiefs agreed to fund it. They previously refused five times to pay for attempts to instigate proceedings, The Sun reported. Mr Downey denies any involvement in the attack and claims he was framed in a conspiracy between MI5, the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

A Legal Aid Agency spokesperson told The Sun: “We can confirm legal aid has been awarded to families of the victims of the 1982 Hyde Park bombing. We reviewed the application in accordance with the information provided and the legal aid regulations.”