Donegal republican granted bail over 1982 IRA attack on British Army

JOHN DOWNEY was granted conditional bail at a hearing in the Old Bailey in London on Thursday morning.

John, a popular Donegal Sinn Féin member and long-time supporter of the Peace Process, was arrested at Gatwick Airport at the end of May and charged in connection with an IRA bomb attack on the British Army near Hyde Park Barracks in London in 1982.

West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty has welcomed the decision to grant John Downey bail.

“The decision today to grant bail to John Downey is the right one. He should never have been arrested in the first place.

“John Downey is a member of Sinn Féin and a long-time supporter of the Peace Process. The decision to arrest and charge him in relation to IRA activities in the early 1980s is vindictive, unnecessary and unhelpful.

“It is very clear following the Weston Park negotiations that the British Government committed itself to resolving the position of 'On the Runs'. John Downey subsequently received correspondence in 2007 stating that he was not wanted by the PSNI or any British police force.

“Going beyond the bail that was granted today, John Downey should be released unconditionally and allowed to return home to his family.

“Sinn Féin will continue to support John and his family at this time.”