Hyde Park Bombing Victim’s Daughter Wins Increased Damages

A woman is getting more money for her dad’s death. Her father was a soldier who died in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing. Sarah Jane Young was very young and heard a big explosion near her home, near the Knightsbridge barracks. Her father, Jeffrey Young, was killed.

After the bombing, she saw injured soldiers covered in blood when they returned. She told her mom her dad would come home. He died from his injuries the next day, leading her to sue John Downey, an IRA member found responsible for the attack.

A judge awarded her over £715,000 in 2020 for losing her father. She sought more for her mental health issues, claiming the original ruling was wrong. The Court of Appeal agreed with her on Friday.

Four soldiers died in the bombing: Roy Bright, Dennis Daly, and Simon Tipper also died. They were riding through Hyde Park to the Changing of the Guard. Thirty-one other people were hurt, and seven horses died.

The Regent’s Park bombing happened the same day, claiming the lives of seven musicians. Downey was a suspect since 1983, but extradition from Ireland was denied in 1989.

He was arrested in 2013 at Gatwick Airport, charged with murder and causing an explosion. The case fell apart in 2014 due to a letter indicating he wasn’t wanted, part of a peace process deal.

A judge determined that Downey actively aided in the attack, moving the car with explosives. His fingerprints were on a parking ticket. Another judge acknowledged her PTSD but denied her claim for mental distress.

Her lawyers argued that the judge erred, as she understood her father’s death. The Court of Appeal has now awarded her more money, acknowledging her mental health issues stemming from her experience.