In London, the Court of Appeal has quashed the conviction of Danny McNamee, an electronics engineer from Crossmaglen who was sentenced to 25 years in jail for conspiracy to cause explosions related to the 1982 Hyde Park bombing.
The Appeal Court in London ruled that the verdict was unsafe and unsound. However, Lord Justice Swinton Thomas, in ruling the conviction unsafe, commented that it did not at all follow that McNamee was innocent of the charge brought against him or that he had served 11 years imprisonment for a crime which it had been found that he did not commit.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, David Andrews has welcomed the decision. Mr. Andrews said he believed Danny McNamee was "always innocent." He added that he and other members of his party had been "deeply involved" in the case and he felt the decision was the right one.
On the question of compensation and an apology Mr. Andrews said that he was sure that was a matter Danny McNamee's lawyers will be looking at very carefully.
The Labour Senator Joe Costello also welcomed the decision, saying that he's delighted at the news. Senator Costello had chaired an all-party Oireachtas group that campaigned for his release and the quashing of his conviction.
He said today's decision vindicates his struggle to clear his name and proves he was another victim of a miscarriage of justice.
