HOEY CLEARED OF ONE CHARGE IN OMAGH TRIAL
Hoey cleared of one charge in Omagh trial
ALLEGED Omagh bomber Sean Hoey will be cleared of at least one of the charges against him after the Crown accepted there was no evidence to convict him. Making his reply to a defence application at Belfast Crown Court, prosecuting QC Gordon Kerr told Mr Justice Weir the Crown accepted there was no case to answer in relation to a 1998 car bomb in Banbridge.
Later in his reply the lawyer further accepted that in relation to a conspiracy to murder charge dated between May and July 1998 following the find of a bomb in a trailer on the Blackwatertown Road, "we accept that there may not be evidence to support" the charge.
However, Mr Kerr said that in relation to other car bombs and mortar bombs, including the Omagh atrocity and the 29 murders, the Crown still contend that a jury could convict Hoey.
The electrician, from Jonesborough in south Armagh, denies a total of 58 charges.
Mr Kerr was arguing against an application by defence lawyers to halt the trial.
The chief prosecutor argued that many of the other counts had been substantiated during evidence and said Hoey's DNA had been found on devices.
He said there was "extremely strong evidence" that the defendant was involved in constructing a device which was discovered in April 2001 at Altmore Forest Park in Co Tyrone.
The chief prosecutor added: "We submit that the finding of DNA on that device is considerably significant."
ALLEGED Omagh bomber Sean Hoey will be cleared of at least one of the charges against him after the Crown accepted there was no evidence to convict him. Making his reply to a defence application at Belfast Crown Court, prosecuting QC Gordon Kerr told Mr Justice Weir the Crown accepted there was no case to answer in relation to a 1998 car bomb in Banbridge.
Later in his reply the lawyer further accepted that in relation to a conspiracy to murder charge dated between May and July 1998 following the find of a bomb in a trailer on the Blackwatertown Road, "we accept that there may not be evidence to support" the charge.
However, Mr Kerr said that in relation to other car bombs and mortar bombs, including the Omagh atrocity and the 29 murders, the Crown still contend that a jury could convict Hoey.
The electrician, from Jonesborough in south Armagh, denies a total of 58 charges.
Mr Kerr was arguing against an application by defence lawyers to halt the trial.
The chief prosecutor argued that many of the other counts had been substantiated during evidence and said Hoey's DNA had been found on devices.
He said there was "extremely strong evidence" that the defendant was involved in constructing a device which was discovered in April 2001 at Altmore Forest Park in Co Tyrone.
The chief prosecutor added: "We submit that the finding of DNA on that device is considerably significant."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/1031
Published Date: 20-Dec-06
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.