conspiracy, directing terrorism, Brits paying for Omagh case

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Friday August 08, 2003 19:41 by petrushka og

colm murphy got done for: was it conspiracy? mc kevitt is now in for directing terrorism. and now the british have found the funds to bring a case on behalf of the families of the victims of omagh. this is a classic frame up shake down by the forces of opression-same thing happened in new york with the panther 21. (from the black panther party) will the real republicans please stand up?

Government cash boost for Omagh families' case

Press Association
Friday August 8, 2003

The government is to provide the families of people killed and injured in the Omagh bombing with £800,000 to meet the cost of taking those accused of the attack to court.
The Northern Ireland secretary, Paul Murphy, today confirmed that the government has found a way to help relatives raise the £1.5m needed for a civil action.

"While I recognise the legal constraints and complexities, I have always believed that this is an exceptional case, and the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland and beyond want to see the families bring it to court. "The magnificent scale of the financial donations from the public to date supports that view.

"I have discussed the families' concerns with the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, and he has found a way to give the families the money they need to fight their case," Mr Murphy said.

The announcement came just 24 hours after Real IRA terror boss Michael McKevitt began a 20-year sentence in Portlaoise Prison, in the Irish Republic, following his conviction for directing terrorism.

The Omagh bombing, which happened in August 1998, killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins. Hundreds were also injured in the Real IRA car blast, which devastated the town centre.

It was the single biggest loss of life in the history of Northern Ireland, and the victims included people from the Irish Republic and Spain, as well as the province.

In January 2002, father-of-four Colm Murphy became the only person to be convicted of plotting the Omagh bomb. Dublin's special criminal court sentenced the Dundalk-based builder and publican to 14 years in jail.

Last summer, solicitors acting on behalf of the Omagh Victims' Civil Action Group served writs on five people suspected of involvement in the bombing, seeking £10m in damages.

The legal documents were given to McKevitt, Liam Campbell and Murphy in Portlaoise Jail. Solicitor Jason McCue visited the border town of Dundalk, in the Irish Republic, last July to serve writs on two other people, Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna.

Neither of the accused was present, and the writs were either handed to relatives or posted through the door.

Stanley McCombe, whose wife Anne was killed in the bombing, revealed two days ago that the families were £800,000 short of meeting the £1.5m bill.

In February, Sinn Fein MPs Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Pat Doherty were also subpoenaed by the families to appear in court during the civil action, along with leading Belfast republicans Brian Gillen and Brian Keenan.

Mr Murphy also confirmed he had asked the Law Society of Northern Ireland to review its decision to grant legal aid to the defendants in the civil case.

"The public will not easily understand why apparently rich men who are convicted terrorists should have their legal fees subsidised by the taxpayer," Mr Murphy said.

The Northern Ireland Secretary said that he had also received an "encouraging" briefing about the police investigation into Omagh from Police Service of Northern Ireland assistant chief constable Sam Kincaid.

"The investigation is very active, with the largest team of detectives working on any single case in Northern Ireland," Mr Murphy said.

"They are working with all their energy towards a criminal prosecution."

Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was killed in the atrocity, said that the government's move would help to speed up the process of taking those responsible to court.

"It is fantastic, unbelievable news. I think it will go a long way towards giving the families justice," he said. Mr Gallagher called on the Irish government to make a similar gesture: "We want the Dublin government to make the transcripts of the McKevitt trial available to our lawyers," he said.