PUBLIC INQUIRY CALLS SET TO GROW
Public inquiry calls set to grow
By Mary Fitzgerald
RELATIVES of those who died in the Omagh bombing will today intensify demands for a full public inquiry into the atrocity.
Ahead of the meeting with Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan this morning, many relatives said the deep political rift that has developed between him and Mrs O'Loan was in danger of obscuring the hunt for the bombers.
Reacting to reports last night that Sir Ronnie will reject the ombudsman's call for an outside officer to head an investigation into the bombing, Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was among the dead, said people had lost faith in the current investigation team.
Superintendent Brian McArthur, who headed the original inquiry, which was heavily criticised by Mrs O'Loan, is to stay in charge, and he will be advised by a senior policeman from Merseyside. The ombudsman had recommended a team headed by a senior officer, independent of the PSNI, be set up. "This falls far short of what we expected. There will be no real change to the investigation team, which was something we had hoped for. It seems we are being failed again. What is needed is a full public inquiry," Mr Gallagher said.
Hitting out at those he accused of trying to gain political mileage out of the spat between Sir Ronnie and the Police Ombudsman, Mr Gallagher said: "People have come out in support or against O'Loan on political grounds. We have never politicised Omagh and we resent politicians trying to gain from it.
"Painting this as a dispute between the Chief Constable and Mrs O'Loan will only delay our fight for justice."
Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Anne, said he expected the meeting to be "tense and very difficult".
"We just want to get at the truth of what did happen. All the politicians who are now jumping on the Omagh bandwagon to gain for themselves have taken away from the real issue. This has only held back our search for truth and justice."
Marian Radford, whose 16-year-old son Alan died in the bombing, said she didn't feel very hopeful about the outcome of today's meeting.
"I can't help feeling certain things don't add up in all of this," she said.
"This is not about being against the police, but if mistakes have been made, we have the right to know."
By Mary Fitzgerald
RELATIVES of those who died in the Omagh bombing will today intensify demands for a full public inquiry into the atrocity.
Ahead of the meeting with Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan this morning, many relatives said the deep political rift that has developed between him and Mrs O'Loan was in danger of obscuring the hunt for the bombers.
Reacting to reports last night that Sir Ronnie will reject the ombudsman's call for an outside officer to head an investigation into the bombing, Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was among the dead, said people had lost faith in the current investigation team.
Superintendent Brian McArthur, who headed the original inquiry, which was heavily criticised by Mrs O'Loan, is to stay in charge, and he will be advised by a senior policeman from Merseyside. The ombudsman had recommended a team headed by a senior officer, independent of the PSNI, be set up. "This falls far short of what we expected. There will be no real change to the investigation team, which was something we had hoped for. It seems we are being failed again. What is needed is a full public inquiry," Mr Gallagher said.
Hitting out at those he accused of trying to gain political mileage out of the spat between Sir Ronnie and the Police Ombudsman, Mr Gallagher said: "People have come out in support or against O'Loan on political grounds. We have never politicised Omagh and we resent politicians trying to gain from it.
"Painting this as a dispute between the Chief Constable and Mrs O'Loan will only delay our fight for justice."
Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Anne, said he expected the meeting to be "tense and very difficult".
"We just want to get at the truth of what did happen. All the politicians who are now jumping on the Omagh bandwagon to gain for themselves have taken away from the real issue. This has only held back our search for truth and justice."
Marian Radford, whose 16-year-old son Alan died in the bombing, said she didn't feel very hopeful about the outcome of today's meeting.
"I can't help feeling certain things don't add up in all of this," she said.
"This is not about being against the police, but if mistakes have been made, we have the right to know."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0827
Published Date: 24-Jan-02
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