OMAGH ACCUSED'S LAWYERS SAY PROSECUTION UNLIKELY
Omagh accused's lawyers say prosecution unlikely
LAWYERS for a man accused of murdering 29 people in the Omagh bomb massacre have launched a new bid to have the case against him halted.
Electrician Sean Hoey (35), is due to go on trial later this year for Northern Ireland's worst atrocity.
But at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday his legal representatives claimed he had been framed, warning there was little chance of a successful prosecution.
Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan alleged there was less evidence connecting his client to the outrage than against a man who had charges of supplying the bomb car dropped.
He said: "In the light of that I would ask the prosecution to review this case, see if there is a real prospect of conviction and immediately withdraw the charges. "Mr Hoey is obviously a political scapegoat."
Hoey of Molly Road, Jonesborough, South Armagh, faces a 61 terrorist and explosives-related charges. Among these are the 29 killings in the dissident Real IRA's no-warning strike on Omagh.
Hundreds more were injured when a 5001b car bomb detonated in August 1998, devastating the Co Tyrone market town.
Hoey was accused of the Omagh killings after a major review of all available forensic evidence.
A dozen boxes of files have been gathered on the suspect, who has also been charged with Real IRA membership. But Mr Corrigan expressed serious concerns at how the case has been handled, declaring: "We would submit that these proceedings have been infected."
The lawyer referred to the dropped action against Anthony Donegan.
The 34-year-old from Dundalk in the Irish Republic was freed in June on the orders of the Public Prosecution Service after a study of the police file.
Mr Corrigan said: "The evidence against Mr Donegan was that he had confessed in a Garda station that he was the person who stole the Vauxhall Cavalier used in the Omagh bombing."
Stressing the significance of the alleged admission, the solicitor compared it to the case against Hoey which, he said, was based exclusively on the word of a forensic scientist.
"His evidence is that Mr Hoey may have been responsible for the Omagh bombing," Mr Corrigan said.
The first stage in Hoey's trial is due to begin on August 30. But, after the defence requested details of the Crown's skeleton argument for accepting the strength of evidence from the forensic scientist, yesterday's hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
A prosecuting solicitor said that a PPS assistant director had been involved in preparing the file. She added: "It's his view that there's a realistic prospect of conviction."
LAWYERS for a man accused of murdering 29 people in the Omagh bomb massacre have launched a new bid to have the case against him halted.
Electrician Sean Hoey (35), is due to go on trial later this year for Northern Ireland's worst atrocity.
But at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday his legal representatives claimed he had been framed, warning there was little chance of a successful prosecution.
Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan alleged there was less evidence connecting his client to the outrage than against a man who had charges of supplying the bomb car dropped.
He said: "In the light of that I would ask the prosecution to review this case, see if there is a real prospect of conviction and immediately withdraw the charges. "Mr Hoey is obviously a political scapegoat."
Hoey of Molly Road, Jonesborough, South Armagh, faces a 61 terrorist and explosives-related charges. Among these are the 29 killings in the dissident Real IRA's no-warning strike on Omagh.
Hundreds more were injured when a 5001b car bomb detonated in August 1998, devastating the Co Tyrone market town.
Hoey was accused of the Omagh killings after a major review of all available forensic evidence.
A dozen boxes of files have been gathered on the suspect, who has also been charged with Real IRA membership. But Mr Corrigan expressed serious concerns at how the case has been handled, declaring: "We would submit that these proceedings have been infected."
The lawyer referred to the dropped action against Anthony Donegan.
The 34-year-old from Dundalk in the Irish Republic was freed in June on the orders of the Public Prosecution Service after a study of the police file.
Mr Corrigan said: "The evidence against Mr Donegan was that he had confessed in a Garda station that he was the person who stole the Vauxhall Cavalier used in the Omagh bombing."
Stressing the significance of the alleged admission, the solicitor compared it to the case against Hoey which, he said, was based exclusively on the word of a forensic scientist.
"His evidence is that Mr Hoey may have been responsible for the Omagh bombing," Mr Corrigan said.
The first stage in Hoey's trial is due to begin on August 30. But, after the defence requested details of the Crown's skeleton argument for accepting the strength of evidence from the forensic scientist, yesterday's hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
A prosecuting solicitor said that a PPS assistant director had been involved in preparing the file. She added: "It's his view that there's a realistic prospect of conviction."
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0751
Published Date: 11-Aug-05
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