OMAGH GUILTY MUST BE TRIED
Omagh guilty must be tried
AT the end of a traumatic week, the fact that at least one person has been tried, convicted and sentenced for his role in the Omagh atrocity can only be of comfort to the relatives of the bomb victims.
Colm Murphy received a 14-year term at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday for conspiring to cause the explosion in which 29 people and two unborn children died.
The evidence against Murphy was overwhelming, although it remains a concern that two detectives were branded by the court as 'discredited witnesses' after it emerged they had re-written interview notes made during his questioning.
However, the judges stressed the credibility of all the other Garda witnesses and concluded that Murphy's admissions, which he later retracted, were completely authentic.
There may be some surprise that Murphy was not handed the maximum possible sentence of 20 years.
But given his grim list of previous convictions, he will still be behind bars for a very long time.
The hope must be that, after this breakthrough, others who were even more centrally involved in the outrage can yet be brought to justice.
Senior officers on both sides of the border have said that they are well aware of the identities of the guilty men, but are not yet in a position to bring charges.
While the difficulties surrounding the Omagh investigation have been comprehensively documented, there is still reason to believe that, even three-and-a-half years after the event, major progress can be made. This is a task which must be given the highest possible priority by the authorities.
They are entitled to expect that they will attract the utmost public cooperation as they pursue the culprits.
It was disappointing to hear some Sinn Fein figures suggest that the controversy over the Omagh investigation vindicated their decision not to accept their seats on the Policing Board in Northern Ireland.
The frustration and anger expressed by Omagh relatives over Sinn Fein's refusal to encourage the passing of information about the bombing to the Garda is also easy to understand.
In reality, the entire saga illustrated graphically why all responsible political parties should play a full and active role in our new policing structures.
The police service needs to be accountable, in the interests of both its officers and the wider community.
And the opportunity to ensure that mistakes of the past can never be repeated now exists.
It could be argued the Good Friday Agreement was certainly not a perfect arrangement, and contained a number of uncertainties and contradictions.
Nevertheless, it had the potential to carry us towards a new era of peace and stability.
On that basis, all the pro-agreement parties, including Sinn Fein, had the courage to take a leap of faith and enter the devolved administration at Stormont.
There is no convincing reason to prevent the same approach being adopted towards the Policing Board.
AT the end of a traumatic week, the fact that at least one person has been tried, convicted and sentenced for his role in the Omagh atrocity can only be of comfort to the relatives of the bomb victims.
Colm Murphy received a 14-year term at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday for conspiring to cause the explosion in which 29 people and two unborn children died.
The evidence against Murphy was overwhelming, although it remains a concern that two detectives were branded by the court as 'discredited witnesses' after it emerged they had re-written interview notes made during his questioning.
However, the judges stressed the credibility of all the other Garda witnesses and concluded that Murphy's admissions, which he later retracted, were completely authentic.
There may be some surprise that Murphy was not handed the maximum possible sentence of 20 years.
But given his grim list of previous convictions, he will still be behind bars for a very long time.
The hope must be that, after this breakthrough, others who were even more centrally involved in the outrage can yet be brought to justice.
Senior officers on both sides of the border have said that they are well aware of the identities of the guilty men, but are not yet in a position to bring charges.
While the difficulties surrounding the Omagh investigation have been comprehensively documented, there is still reason to believe that, even three-and-a-half years after the event, major progress can be made. This is a task which must be given the highest possible priority by the authorities.
They are entitled to expect that they will attract the utmost public cooperation as they pursue the culprits.
It was disappointing to hear some Sinn Fein figures suggest that the controversy over the Omagh investigation vindicated their decision not to accept their seats on the Policing Board in Northern Ireland.
The frustration and anger expressed by Omagh relatives over Sinn Fein's refusal to encourage the passing of information about the bombing to the Garda is also easy to understand.
In reality, the entire saga illustrated graphically why all responsible political parties should play a full and active role in our new policing structures.
The police service needs to be accountable, in the interests of both its officers and the wider community.
And the opportunity to ensure that mistakes of the past can never be repeated now exists.
It could be argued the Good Friday Agreement was certainly not a perfect arrangement, and contained a number of uncertainties and contradictions.
Nevertheless, it had the potential to carry us towards a new era of peace and stability.
On that basis, all the pro-agreement parties, including Sinn Fein, had the courage to take a leap of faith and enter the devolved administration at Stormont.
There is no convincing reason to prevent the same approach being adopted towards the Policing Board.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0543
Published Date: 26-Jan-02
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