Fatcat legal aid boss urged to ‘give aid’ and overturn a snub to the families of Hyde Park Bombing victims

A FATCAT legal aid chief was under growing pressure last night to overturn a snub to the families of the victims of the IRA Hyde Park bombing.

Legal Aid Agency boss Shaun McNally - who earns around £140,000-a-year - cruelly threw out a request by relatives in February to help pay for a civil claim against the prime suspect.

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But lawyers acting for the Hyde Park Justice Campaign have now formally asked the LAA to review its decision.

Mr McNally had earlier claimed the case was “not in the public interest” before admitting it was - only to then claim it was “not proportionate”.

The refusal came despite the LAA happily paying out £22 million to lawyers working to DEFEND terrorism suspects and jihadists in recent years.

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Among those who benefited were Lee Rigby’s murderers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, whose lawyers trousered £213,000.

And on Wednesday the LAA granted eight families of victims of the Birmingham pub bombings legal aid on Wednesday after months of campaigning.

The Sun fully supports the Hyde Park campaign to bring suspected bomber John Downey to justice at last.

It has already raised £34,000 in just a few weeks - but a total of £650,000 is needed to fully fund the case.

A blunder by officials meant the IRA man’s Old Bailey trial collapsed in 2014.

The campaign was launched by Mark Tipper, brother of Trooper Simon Tipper, to support Sarahjane Young, daughter of Lance Corporal Jeffrey Young.

Both soldiers were killed in the blast.

Two other soldiers were murdered in the 1982 horror alongside seven cavalry horses.

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They were slain by a 25lb nail bomb outside the Household Cavalry barracks in Hyde Park, central London.

Since then thousands of pounds in donations have flooded in from loyal Sun readers.

Last month Justice Minister Sir Oliver Heald told the Commons his “deepest sympathies” lay with the families - and admitted their case for legal aid funding was “still ongoing”.

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Ulster Unionist Party MP Danny Kinahan, whose best man Anthony Daly died in the Hyde Park attack, said the LAA had behaved “disgracefully”.

Last night a Legal Aid Agency spokeswoman said: “The LAA has received a request to review the decision to refuse funding in a civil claim for damages against Mr John Downey.

“The request is currently under consideration.”