OMAGH: STILL HOPE FOR JUSTICE
Omagh: still hope for justice
LAWRENCE Rush, whose wife was killed in the Omagh Bomb, has condemned this week's Panorama programme.
"The proper place for justice," he says, "is a courtroom and not a TV screen."
He's right of course. But in fairness, it should be pointed out that the Panorama programme never set out to be a replacement for the courthouse. This was investigative journalism. Not the case for the prosecution.
And despite the pessimism in some circles, there is no reason to believe that this is as good as justice gets. That those who carried out the greatest single atrocity of the Troubles, will not one day have to answer for their crimes.
The reality, and the bombers themselves know it, is that the police have a clear picture of what happened that day.
All they need now is the hard evidence that will stand up in court. But there are a number of reasons why vital witnesses may not come forward. One is a sense of misplaced loyalty to those suspected of involvement. In this case, to paraphrase an old cliche, time can be a great squealer. People who today feel their conscience would not permit them to tout on a mate, may someday find themselves answerable to a truer conscience.
Meanwhile, the police investigation on both sides of the border continues relentlessly. Neither the RUC nor Garda are lacking in their determination to bring the bombers to justice. The RUC team is led by Eric Anderson, a brilliant detective totally committed to uncovering the truth as he has done many times in the past.
This week's Panorama may have nudged a few consciences but a TV screen is not a court room. And we should not lose hope that those who bombed Omagh will one day face justice. In the proper place.
LAWRENCE Rush, whose wife was killed in the Omagh Bomb, has condemned this week's Panorama programme.
"The proper place for justice," he says, "is a courtroom and not a TV screen."
He's right of course. But in fairness, it should be pointed out that the Panorama programme never set out to be a replacement for the courthouse. This was investigative journalism. Not the case for the prosecution.
And despite the pessimism in some circles, there is no reason to believe that this is as good as justice gets. That those who carried out the greatest single atrocity of the Troubles, will not one day have to answer for their crimes.
The reality, and the bombers themselves know it, is that the police have a clear picture of what happened that day.
All they need now is the hard evidence that will stand up in court. But there are a number of reasons why vital witnesses may not come forward. One is a sense of misplaced loyalty to those suspected of involvement. In this case, to paraphrase an old cliche, time can be a great squealer. People who today feel their conscience would not permit them to tout on a mate, may someday find themselves answerable to a truer conscience.
Meanwhile, the police investigation on both sides of the border continues relentlessly. Neither the RUC nor Garda are lacking in their determination to bring the bombers to justice. The RUC team is led by Eric Anderson, a brilliant detective totally committed to uncovering the truth as he has done many times in the past.
This week's Panorama may have nudged a few consciences but a TV screen is not a court room. And we should not lose hope that those who bombed Omagh will one day face justice. In the proper place.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0607
Published Date: 13-Oct-00
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.