BT/1144

Ten years of twists and turns in a tortuous case

August 15, 1998: At 3.10pm a 500lb car bomb explodes in Market Street, Omagh, killing 29 people - including a woman heavily pregnant with twins - and injuring 220 others.
September 1, 1998: Gerry Adams says the republican war is over.
September 7, 2000: Inquest into the bombing begins.
October 10, 2000: The BBC broadcasts the names of four men it claims are connected with the Omagh bombing.
August 11, 2001: Relatives of nine families begin a landmark civil action against five men they believed were responsible for the massacre. The Real IRA terror group which claimed responsibility for the bombing is also named as a defendant.
January 22, 2002: Colm Murphy convicted at a special non-jury Criminal Court in Dublin of conspiracy to cause an explosion.
August 6, 2003: Michael McKevitt is the first person ever convicted in the Republic of directing terrorism.
August 8, 2003: Victims' families are given £800,000 by the government to pursue their civil action.
January 21, 2005: Colm Murphy's conviction overturned on appeal.
December 20, 2007: Sean Hoey acquitted of all 56 charges in connection with the Omagh bomb.
April 7, 2008: Civil action trial against Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy, Seamus McKenna and Seamus Daly begins at Belfast High Court.
May 12, 2008: Omagh civil action makes legal history by travelling to the Republic to hear evidence.
August 15, 2008: 10th anniversary of Omagh bombing.
September 15, 2008: Panorama claims the Government's communications body GCHQ had been secretly recording telephone conversations between the bomb and scout cars en route to Omagh.
February 11, 2009: Families of Omagh bomb victims meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss revelations in a Panorama programme.
March 26, 2009: Omagh civil action draws to a close.
June 8, 2009: Mr Justice Morgan delivers verdict in ground-breaking civil trial.