"A man in his 60s has been charged in connection with the IRA’s 1982 bomb attacks which killed eight soldiers in two London parks, the Metropolitan police have confirmed.
John Anthony Downey, from Co Donegal, is to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday charged with killing four of the soldiers from the Household Cavalry in the Hyde Park blast on 20 July 1982.
He is accused of murdering Roy John Bright, Dennis Richard Anthony Daly, Simon Andrew Tipper and Geoffrey Vernon Young in Hyde Park.
A spokesman from the Met alleged: “John Anthony Downey, on the 20th day of July 1982, within the jurisdiction of the central criminal court unlawfully and maliciously did an act with intent to cause by an explosive substance an explosion of a nature likely to endanger life, or to cause serious injury to property, contrary to s.3(1)(a) Explosive Substances Act 1883.”
Eight soldiers in total died in the two explosions in Hyde Park and Regents Park.
Admitting responsibility at the time, the IRA said it had carried out the attacks in a statement echoing Margaret Thatcher’s declaration of war on Argentina over the disputed Falklands. It repeated Thatcher’s remarks about the right of self-determination and continued: “The Irish people have sovereign and national rights which no task or occupational force can put down.”
In the first incident a nail bomb in a blue Austin car was detonated as members of the Household Cavalry made their way to the changing of the guard from their barracks in Knightsbridge.
Seven horses were killed or so badly maimed they had to be destroyed.
The second explosive device was detonated underneath the bandstand inside Regents Park as bandsmen from the Royal Green Jackets were performing songs from the musical Oliver for the public."
Most other people jailed for such offences have now been released.
More seriously, what does your question mean? A man is being charged for a deadly crime that hasn’t been solved until now. Why are you questioning the justice of this action?
In the process of being served, apparently, with a hearty “Well done, lads!” to the police who caught him.
Are you suggesting that the fact that other defendants were convicted years ago and have already served their sentences means this one shouldn’t have to serve his own? :dubious:
All but a few recidivist idiots were freed from their jail terms as part of the Good Friday Agreement and settlement in the North of Ireland. Even those serving life sentences for murder using terrorist methods.
Is it really justice to pursue someone now when even if convicted, he will probably be released almost immediately.
I believe we should have had a proper truth and reconciliation commission, but that proved too difficult to organize.
I’m sure the families of those murdered probably want the record to reflect the man’s apparent involvement even though he likely won’t serve any significant length of time in prison.
Is this case related to the work of the PSNI’s Historical Enquiries Team? That’s the closest thing so far to a truth and reconciliation type set up.
I’m not entirely sure why there hasn’t been one implemented? Is it mainly cost? The Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday supposedly cost in excess of £200,000,000 for example. Presumably also there are people in powerful positions in NI, the republic and in Britain who would prefer that the public eye not be cast on their past dealings. There’s generally speaking something to be said for letting bygones be bygones. There’s also the fallibility of memory, especially pertaining to events that took place 40 or more years ago. Peace insofar as it exists in NI can be precarious enough that I wonder if a T&R commission might rekindle past hatred. I suppose the HET’s work has that potential too although its operations seem to be somewhat low key. It’s a difficult one, to be honest.
In 2006 the BBC did a programme called Facing the Truth wherein Archbishop Desmond Tutu (a figurehead of the T&R Commission in South Africa) brought together perpetrators and victims of violence during the Troubles in T&R style meetings. It was a slightly bizarre affair as it had no official standing, it was just a tv programme. A former soldier, Clifford Burrage, appeared on the programme and talked to the family of an IRA man he had fatally shot while out on patrol in 1971. It was all pretty harrowing. Latterly however it has been shown by HET that Burrage played no part in the man’s death and the man wasn’t actually a member of the IRA, he was an innocent civilian.
Specifically I (as a cynic) believe the matter was avoided because it would have resulted in McGuinness and Adams being exposed as previous very active terrorists, and was necessary to save their political careers. A lot of that is sneaking out now anyway, despite rather desperate denials.
An amusing side note- the Republic had refused to extradite the accused but he was caught changing planes at Gatwick, going on vacation in a sting operation. I wonder how many old men are finding it difficult to travel the world for similar problems!
McGuinness doesn’t deny being a member of the IRA does he? I don’t know why Adams even bothers denying it to be honest, I don’t think it would have that much of an impact on his bottom line. The people who vote for Sinn Féin know about the former actions of some of the people they’re voting for. I think perhaps a bigger issue is the extent to which the IRA etc. were infiltrated and compromised by British intelligence. If this was laid bare and shown to be extensive it would be embarrassing for both.
Depending on the purview of such a body there would also be some red faces amongst unionists, former members of the police and legal paramilitary groups, and (likely long since retired) personnel from both the British and Irish governments. It’s a can of worms that many parties have an interest in keeping closed. Look at the Pat Finucane case for example.
It’s pretty well known that before the Good Friday Agreement the IRA had been eaten from the inside out by the British security services. Read that article, it’s pretty interesting. There’s also a bit of a twist at the end.
Thanks for the link but that is a fucking awful article. Apart from the factual inaccuracies I spotted, the stereotyping, and the way he transliterates what people are saying, the article lacks much of the broader context as to why the Troubles are now (more or less) over. It’s worth noting that Dennis Donaldson was murdered by RIRA only a few days after that article was published. I laughed when I saw the author’s name was Teague though.
I’m not sure how well known it is how much the security services were involved in the IRA and loyalist groups. It’s not as if it’s a secret but I don’t think it’s ever really undergone popular public scrutiny in Britain. Northern Ireland is, after all, an irrelevancy to the majority of the British public.
Agreed, but there was similar embarrassment in South Africa at some of the information that came out.
My view is that it is a waste of time pursuing old cases- there should be a general amnesty for historic offences on both sides. Better if that had been agreed before the horrifically expensive and pointless enquiry into Bloody Sunday. I know that it was a break point in the negotiations, but trawling over the misdeeds of both sides in a semi-judicial manner has not proved very profitable.