VIDEO LINK RELAYS BOMB-TRIAL PROCEEDINGS BACK TO OMAGH
Video link relays bomb-trial proceedings back to Omagh
By Bimpe Fatogun
IT was business as usual at Omagh College yesterday.
Teenagers giggled in the corridors on their way to classes, many still unfamiliar with the labyrinthine layout of classrooms so
close to the start of the new term.
In the midst of the bustle and life two court officials stood solemnly on guard duty outside one of the college's conference rooms.
Inside was a painstaking recreation, as far as was feasible, of Belfast Crown Court. Chairs were laid out in rows resembling a public gallery in front of a television screen beaming pictures of the proceedings from Belfast.
No talking was allowed and mobile telephones were switched off following the judge's direction that the same rules would apply as in a court of law.
The link, between Belfast Crown Court and Omagh College, was set up at the request of a relatives' support group and will be available throughout the trial.
Most were in Belfast courtesy of a special bus laid on for them.
However, from today the bulk of those bereaved by the 1998 bombing will watch the trial of the only person to be charged in connection with the attack in the town where it happened.
Kevin Skelton, who was unable to make the journey to Belfast yesterday, said it was the only way most relatives could see the trial.
Mr Skelton's wife Mena was killed in the bombing and their daughters Shauna, Tracey and Paula were injured by the blast.
Yesterday he listened with a handful of others as the list of charges was read out to Sean Gerard Hoey.
"It's just too expensive to travel every day and I was glad when they said they would be doing this," he said.
"The support group had been asking for it. We knew that with very serious charges it would be heard in Belfast."
The trial is likely to last for up to three months, making it impossible for most people to take time off work to attend the Belfast sitting every day.
Relatives have been dropping in and out of the makeshift courtroom as their schedules allow.
"It would have been impossible to travel down to court," Mr Skelton said.
"You've got the cost of diesel and parking and then you could go down and find out that the trial has been adjourned."
Edmund Gibson, whose sister Esther died in the bombing, said he hoped watching the judicial process run its course would provide some "closure" for relatives.
He said while some of the evidence presented already had been difficult to see, it was important.
"No-one likes to see photographs where people have been killed. At least this time it's for a decent purpose, as evidence in a court case," he said.
By Bimpe Fatogun
IT was business as usual at Omagh College yesterday.
Teenagers giggled in the corridors on their way to classes, many still unfamiliar with the labyrinthine layout of classrooms so
close to the start of the new term.
In the midst of the bustle and life two court officials stood solemnly on guard duty outside one of the college's conference rooms.
Inside was a painstaking recreation, as far as was feasible, of Belfast Crown Court. Chairs were laid out in rows resembling a public gallery in front of a television screen beaming pictures of the proceedings from Belfast.
No talking was allowed and mobile telephones were switched off following the judge's direction that the same rules would apply as in a court of law.
The link, between Belfast Crown Court and Omagh College, was set up at the request of a relatives' support group and will be available throughout the trial.
Most were in Belfast courtesy of a special bus laid on for them.
However, from today the bulk of those bereaved by the 1998 bombing will watch the trial of the only person to be charged in connection with the attack in the town where it happened.
Kevin Skelton, who was unable to make the journey to Belfast yesterday, said it was the only way most relatives could see the trial.
Mr Skelton's wife Mena was killed in the bombing and their daughters Shauna, Tracey and Paula were injured by the blast.
Yesterday he listened with a handful of others as the list of charges was read out to Sean Gerard Hoey.
"It's just too expensive to travel every day and I was glad when they said they would be doing this," he said.
"The support group had been asking for it. We knew that with very serious charges it would be heard in Belfast."
The trial is likely to last for up to three months, making it impossible for most people to take time off work to attend the Belfast sitting every day.
Relatives have been dropping in and out of the makeshift courtroom as their schedules allow.
"It would have been impossible to travel down to court," Mr Skelton said.
"You've got the cost of diesel and parking and then you could go down and find out that the trial has been adjourned."
Edmund Gibson, whose sister Esther died in the bombing, said he hoped watching the judicial process run its course would provide some "closure" for relatives.
He said while some of the evidence presented already had been difficult to see, it was important.
"No-one likes to see photographs where people have been killed. At least this time it's for a decent purpose, as evidence in a court case," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0804
Published Date: 26-Sep-06
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