A man appeared at the Old Bailey yesterday charged with the murder of four British solders in the 1982 Hyde Park IRA bomb blast.

John Downey, 61, of County Donegal, Ireland, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on Sunday.

He was accused of being responsible for a car bomb left in South Carriage Drive which killed solders as they rode through the park to the Changing of the Guard. The explosion injured other members of the Royal Household Cavalry and killed seven horses on the route to Buckingham Palace.

Downey was charged with murdering Roy Bright, Dennis Daly, Simon Tipper and Geoffrey Young.

He was remanded in custody until a preliminary hearing on June 5. No bail application was made.