7/7 attacks: Bombing 'hero' Raymond Parry stripped of MBE

The 7/7 attacks on London's underground and bus network killed 52 people

A "hero" of the 7/7 London bombings has been stripped of his MBE after he admitted the sexual assault of a child.

Raymond Parry, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, was a Transport for London (TfL) worker when suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured hundreds more on 7 July 2005.

He was honoured in 2007 for his role in leading TfL's services to support victims' loved ones.

Parry was placed on the sex offenders' register in November 2020.

Parry, now in his 70s, is among a dozen people to be stripped of their honours, including former Crewe Alexandra manager Dario Gradi - who also had his MBE revoked.

Gradi was suspended from football due to allegations he failed to act on rumours of sexual abuse by coaches he worked alongside.

The list, published on Tuesday by the Cabinet Office, gave the reason for Parry's forfeiture as "criminal conviction".

Det Con Gemma West of Bedfordshire Police described it as "a clear case of the grooming of a vulnerable child by an older man in a position of trust".

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The 2005 attacks saw terrorists target London's underground and bus network in a series of coordinated attacks.

After Parry was made an MBE for his work as head of TfL's Incident Care Team, the public transport body said he made "such a difference in the very worst of circumstances", adding the worker of 26 years was a "hero".

In 2019 a boy, aged 12, alleged he had been touched by Parry when he worked at an activity centre.

Parry was spared jail and instead handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, as well as being barred from working with children for 10 years.