JUSTICE IS ONLY WAY TO EASE OUR PAIN
Justice is only way to ease our pain'
Omagh father speaks out four years on
By Larry Deeney
A MAN who lost his 15-year-old daughter in the Omagh bomb said today the pain of the atrocity can only be healed by achieving justice for the victims. As families of the bomb victims gathered in Omagh to mark the fourth anniversary of the bomb, Godfrey Wilson, whose daughter Lorraine was one of 29 people killed in the 1998 atrocity, said convicting those responsible for the bombing would allow the healing process to begin. "I thought I was coping I went back to work about 14 weeks after the tragedy. But it's still no better for me. Life has deteriorated, if anything I just can't seem to move on, I'm just stuck in a void," he said.
"During my life I've lost a son and a father, and the lesson I learned is that you bury your dead and get on with it. But when it's premeditated murder and the justice system has let you down, it's hard to move on. "There's only one thing that can begin to help and that is justice."Mr Wilson's yearning for justice is echoed by all the families who lost loved ones in the bomb.
They are angry that, on today's fourth anniversary, still no-one has been convicted of murder in connection with the bombing.
And claims in a report by the Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, that, among other things, RUC Special Branch failed to pass on information warning that Omagh was to be targeted, heaped more pain on the families.
In light of this, the families decided to take things into their own hands and launched a civil case against those suspected of the bombing.
The families raised money to take the civil action and earlier this summer issued writs against five men they have accused of planting the bomb.
Recently, police launched a fresh investigation into the bombing, and Michael Gallagher; the chairman of the Omagh Victims' Group, who lost his 21-year-old son Aidan in the atrocity, has thrown his weight behind it.
"Sadly, it's four years on and the most crucial phase in any investigation is the first 72 hours, so they really have an uphill task.
Nevertheless the families are putting their weight behind them," he said.
Mr Gallagher said most of the questions asked by the families have still not been answered four years on.
"Im certainly a lot greyer than I was four years ago, a lot sadder, and a lot wiser from the experiences that I've had.
"It takes a personal toll but I think there's a quiet determination that Omagh is not finished yet �I think there's a lot more to be learned about Omagh. "We have this quest for truth and justice and we will continue that," he said.
Omagh father speaks out four years on
By Larry Deeney
A MAN who lost his 15-year-old daughter in the Omagh bomb said today the pain of the atrocity can only be healed by achieving justice for the victims. As families of the bomb victims gathered in Omagh to mark the fourth anniversary of the bomb, Godfrey Wilson, whose daughter Lorraine was one of 29 people killed in the 1998 atrocity, said convicting those responsible for the bombing would allow the healing process to begin. "I thought I was coping I went back to work about 14 weeks after the tragedy. But it's still no better for me. Life has deteriorated, if anything I just can't seem to move on, I'm just stuck in a void," he said.
"During my life I've lost a son and a father, and the lesson I learned is that you bury your dead and get on with it. But when it's premeditated murder and the justice system has let you down, it's hard to move on. "There's only one thing that can begin to help and that is justice."Mr Wilson's yearning for justice is echoed by all the families who lost loved ones in the bomb.
They are angry that, on today's fourth anniversary, still no-one has been convicted of murder in connection with the bombing.
And claims in a report by the Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, that, among other things, RUC Special Branch failed to pass on information warning that Omagh was to be targeted, heaped more pain on the families.
In light of this, the families decided to take things into their own hands and launched a civil case against those suspected of the bombing.
The families raised money to take the civil action and earlier this summer issued writs against five men they have accused of planting the bomb.
Recently, police launched a fresh investigation into the bombing, and Michael Gallagher; the chairman of the Omagh Victims' Group, who lost his 21-year-old son Aidan in the atrocity, has thrown his weight behind it.
"Sadly, it's four years on and the most crucial phase in any investigation is the first 72 hours, so they really have an uphill task.
Nevertheless the families are putting their weight behind them," he said.
Mr Gallagher said most of the questions asked by the families have still not been answered four years on.
"Im certainly a lot greyer than I was four years ago, a lot sadder, and a lot wiser from the experiences that I've had.
"It takes a personal toll but I think there's a quiet determination that Omagh is not finished yet �I think there's a lot more to be learned about Omagh. "We have this quest for truth and justice and we will continue that," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0868
Published Date: 15-Aug-02
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