IRA ‘horse bomber’ enjoyed rearing horses in countryside hideaway while on run from cops over 1982 Hyde Park atrocity
John Downey kept horses like the ones he slaughtered in 1982
THE prime suspect in the Hyde Park bombing lives at a countryside retreat where he reared horses like the ones he slaughtered alongside four soldiers.
John Downey kept the animals in a plot outside his three-acre property in remote County Donegal while on the run from police over the 1982 horror.
Four soldiers and seven cavalry horses were killed in the 1982 IRA attack
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HOW TO HELP
YOU can back the Hyde Park Justice Campaign in several ways.
Credit or debit card donations can be given at .
You can donate online using these bank details: Sort code 18-00-02, and account number 04507118.
You could also go to your own bank with the details.
Donors can also send cash or cheques to: Hyde Park Justice Campaign, Fourth Floor, 158 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9TR.
Any money left over will be donated to other legal actions for serving members of the Armed Forces or victims of terrorism and their families.
He worked as an oyster farmer while living in the remote two-storey house in a republican enclave of the Irish beauty spot.
A blunder by UK government officials meant the IRA man’s trial collapsed in 2014.
The Sun is backing a campaign to get justice for the families of those murdered along with seven cavalry horses by a 25lb nail bomb in Hyde Park, central London.
They need to raise £650,000 and are asking Sun readers to donate whatever they can spare.
Downey’s two mares were pictured outside his home in 2011. It is unclear if the dad of three still keeps them and last week the stable doors were shut.
A neighbour said: “I know what people will think when they hear he’s very fond of horses. You could say it’s an odd coincidence.”
Downey, who has never denied his IRA roots, lives with second wife Jill. The 65-year-old avoided prosecution because he was wrongly given a “comfort letter”, an assurance that police would not pursue IRA suspects amid the quest for peace.
HOW TO HELP
YOU can back the Hyde Park Justice Campaign in several ways.
Credit or debit card donations can be given at .
You can donate online using these bank details: Sort code 18-00-02, and account number 04507118.
You could also go to your own bank with the details.
Donors can also send cash or cheques to: Hyde Park Justice Campaign, Fourth Floor, 158 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9TR.
Any money left over will be donated to other legal actions for serving members of the Armed Forces or victims of terrorism and their families.
