Hyde Park bomb suspect accused of killing two soldiers

Victory for London victims’ families as he is extradited to face new murder charge

THE prime suspect in the Hyde Park bomb atrocity appeared in court yesterday charged with murdering two soldiers in a separate terror attack.

John Downey, 67, was denied bail by magistrates in Omagh after being extradited and charged with murdering two Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers in a remote- controlled car blast in 1972.

He had previously been charged in 2013 with the murder of four members of the Royal Household Cavalry in the 1982 Hyde Park nail-bomb attack. But his Old Bailey trial collapsed in 2014 when Downey produced an ‘on-the-run’ letter of assurance from former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour Government that he was not wanted by authorities.

Now the families of the Hyde Park victims are calling for other I RA suspects t o be brought before the courts.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) began its investigation into Downey over the 1972 murder of two soldiers in Enniskillen after the collapse of the Hyde Park trial.

It is understood that a campaign by the Hyde Park victims’ families prompted police to start their fresh investigation into the double murder. Alfred Johnston, 32, a father of four, and James Eames, 33, a father of three, were killed in their patrol car when they drove to inspect an abandoned vehicle, and the remote bomb was detonated.

Downey, who was convicted in 1974 of IRA membership, was arrested last year on a European arrest warrant and has been battling extradition from the Irish Republic ever since.

After failing to overturn the decision last week, he turned himself in to Irish police and was extradited to Northern Ireland on Friday evening.

Yesterday he appeared at Omagh Magistrates’ Court with a crowd of supporters, including Sinn Fein politicians, gathered outside. Downey was also accused of aiding and abetting an explosion.

Judge Michael Ranaghan denied Downey bail after agreeing that he was a flight REMANDED: John Downey arrives for yesterday’s hearing risk but said he could appeal against the decision in the High Court. He ordered him to appear again via videolink from his jail cell at the end of the month.

Victims’ families have called on authorities to look again at the decision not to prosecute Downey over the Hyde Park bombing.

In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said it would consider a charging decision ‘if new evidence was presented in relation to the Hyde Park bombings’.

Families of the victims are now calling for others to face trials i n the UK and have launched a ‘CrowdJustice campaign’ to apply pressure on the UK authorities.

They include retired Catholic priest Patrick Ryan, who has admitted sourcing components and explosives used in the Hyde Park bomb.

Mark Tipper, 59, whose 19year- o l d brot her, Trooper Simon Tipper, was killed at Hyde Park, said: ‘Should the CPS also now look at the decisi on t o drop t he criminal charges against Downey over Hyde Park?’

Matthew Jury, of McCue and Partners, lawyers for the Hyde Park families, said: ‘This has been a tireless campaign led by the brave families of the Hyde Park victims.

‘Finally they are seeing men like John Downey brought to justice and we will not rest until others like him are also in the courts.’