Legal aid chiefs are refusing to back a fund to help families of the Hyde Park bomb victims

LEGAL aid chiefs are refusing to back a fund to help families of the Hyde Park bomb victims.

They say  £52,000 raised by Sun readers towards a civil action against the   prime suspect, IRA man John Downey,   means the campaign has “alternative sources of funding”.

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The suit could cost up to  £650,000. Lawyers say they need another £50,000 from the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) by August or the case will collapse.

Last night lawyer Matthew Jury, of McCue and Partners, said: “The public didn’t donate just so the government could dodge its responsibilities.”

To date the LAA, which has paid out £22 million to lawyers in recent years to DEFEND jihadis and terrorism suspects, has refused to provide any backing to the families of the Hyde Park bombing.

It has previously claimed the case was “not in the public interest” before admitting it was - only to then claim the lawsuit was “not proportionate”.

The families have appealed against the LAA’s stance and are awaiting a decision.

Among the cases the LAA has funded in the past were Lee Rigby’s murderers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, whose lawyers trousered £213,000.

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

It has already raised almost £52,000 - with £12,000 donated in the past week - but a full civil hearing could cost as much as £650,000.

A blunder by officials meant Downey’s Old Bailey trial collapsed in 2014.

The campaign was launched by Sarahjane Young, daughter of Lance Corporal Jeffrey Young, and Mark Tipper, brother of Trooper Simon Tipper, both killed in the blast.

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

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

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HOW YOU CAN HELP

Give at

SEND cash or cheques to: Hyde Park Justice Campaign, Fourth Floor, 158 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9TR.
Cheques payable to Hyde Park Justice Campaign. Pay direct to Hyde Park Justice Campaign, Coutts bank, Sort Code 18-00-02, Account 04507118.

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

Earlier this year former 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”.

A SHAMEFUL DECISION

By Matt Jury, Hyde Park Justice lawyer

THE Government is failing our veterans and victims of terrorism.
For years, it has shamefully failed to provide adequate welfare and financial support.
And those who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles (as well as those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan) are being unfairly targeted for prosecution.
But the terrorists are granted effective amnesties and are living out their days in freedom.
A Tory election pledge was: “The immense contribution of the security forces during the Troubles should never be forgotten.”

But the Government has already forgotten the contribution of the four British soldiers murdered by the IRA at Hyde Park in 1982.
The PM and the Justice Secretary say they can’t intervene in the Legal Aid Agency’s decision.
This is nonsense but they’d rather wash their hands and leave the decision to the agency.