HOEY QC QUERIES FORENSIC EVIDENCE
Hoey QC queries forensic evidence
THE top London barister acting for alleged Omagh bomber Sean Hoey yesterday continued his attack on the continuity and integrity of the prosecution exhibits.
Cross-examining scenes-of-crime officer Fiona Cooper at Belfast Crown Court, Orlando Pownall QC put to her that when she attended the scene of a mortar attack at Forkhill RUC station in March 1998, the idea that the items, including unexploded mortars, tubes and timer power units, would be sent for DNA analysis "never entered your mind".
Mrs Cooper agreed with the suggestion and said her "principal concern" was relating to potential fingerprints and fibre evidence as well as "other trace evidence".
She said she did not consider DNA evidence as "the technology for low copy number DNA was not readily available at that time".
Mr Pownall further suggested that the items taken from the scene were not properly bagged and sealed.
This was rejected by Mrs Cooper, who said "they were placed in bags at Forkhill [RUC station] but they were properly sealed and labelled at Bessbrook".
When asked by Mr Justice Weir why the timer power unit was not photographed, Mrs Cooper told the judge it was "overlooked".
Hoey, from Molly Road, Jonesborough, is on trial in what is the biggest murder trial in Irish legal history.
It is expected to be one of the last major non-jury Diplock terrorist trials to be held in Northern Ireland.
It is understood that the prosecution case against the 36-year-old south Armagh electrican concerns mainly DNA evidence allegedly uncovered from what is known as low copy number
DNA testing.
However, it is also known that two DNA tests, under a different procedure, were carried out just prior to the case starting.
In addition to the murder of the 29 people killed in the blast, including that of Avril Monaghan, whose unborn twins died with her, Hoey faces a number of other terrorist charges.
He is charged with and denies a total of 58 charges, relating not only to the Omagh bomb atrocity but to six other murder conspiracies, five bombings, four bomb conspiracies, and the possession of explosives including timer power units, mortar bombs and bombs.
Hoey denies the murders on August 15 1998 and causing the bombing.
He also denies possessing explosives, namely a timer power unit, between March 3 1997 and August 16 1998.
The six murder conspiracies against members of the security forces were allegedly planned for Blackwaterstown Road, Armagh, between May 19 and July 11 1998; Altmore Forest, Dungannon between April 10 and 13 2001; the military base at Crossmaglen and Forkhill RUC base, both on March 24 1998; Belleek RUC station, May 9 1998, and Newry RUC station, July 21 1998.
Hoey also denies possessing bomb timer power units and causing mortar bomb explosions at Crossmaglen, Forkhill, Belleek and Newry RUC stations.
He is also accused of causing explosions at Banbridge on August 1 1998 and Finaghy railway halt on May 24 1998 and with conspiring to cause explosions, and possession of explosives, at Blackwaterstown Road, Armagh, at Market Street, Lisburn between March 11 and May 1 1998 and Newry Courthouse between March 3 and July 14 1998.
THE top London barister acting for alleged Omagh bomber Sean Hoey yesterday continued his attack on the continuity and integrity of the prosecution exhibits.
Cross-examining scenes-of-crime officer Fiona Cooper at Belfast Crown Court, Orlando Pownall QC put to her that when she attended the scene of a mortar attack at Forkhill RUC station in March 1998, the idea that the items, including unexploded mortars, tubes and timer power units, would be sent for DNA analysis "never entered your mind".
Mrs Cooper agreed with the suggestion and said her "principal concern" was relating to potential fingerprints and fibre evidence as well as "other trace evidence".
She said she did not consider DNA evidence as "the technology for low copy number DNA was not readily available at that time".
Mr Pownall further suggested that the items taken from the scene were not properly bagged and sealed.
This was rejected by Mrs Cooper, who said "they were placed in bags at Forkhill [RUC station] but they were properly sealed and labelled at Bessbrook".
When asked by Mr Justice Weir why the timer power unit was not photographed, Mrs Cooper told the judge it was "overlooked".
Hoey, from Molly Road, Jonesborough, is on trial in what is the biggest murder trial in Irish legal history.
It is expected to be one of the last major non-jury Diplock terrorist trials to be held in Northern Ireland.
It is understood that the prosecution case against the 36-year-old south Armagh electrican concerns mainly DNA evidence allegedly uncovered from what is known as low copy number
DNA testing.
However, it is also known that two DNA tests, under a different procedure, were carried out just prior to the case starting.
In addition to the murder of the 29 people killed in the blast, including that of Avril Monaghan, whose unborn twins died with her, Hoey faces a number of other terrorist charges.
He is charged with and denies a total of 58 charges, relating not only to the Omagh bomb atrocity but to six other murder conspiracies, five bombings, four bomb conspiracies, and the possession of explosives including timer power units, mortar bombs and bombs.
Hoey denies the murders on August 15 1998 and causing the bombing.
He also denies possessing explosives, namely a timer power unit, between March 3 1997 and August 16 1998.
The six murder conspiracies against members of the security forces were allegedly planned for Blackwaterstown Road, Armagh, between May 19 and July 11 1998; Altmore Forest, Dungannon between April 10 and 13 2001; the military base at Crossmaglen and Forkhill RUC base, both on March 24 1998; Belleek RUC station, May 9 1998, and Newry RUC station, July 21 1998.
Hoey also denies possessing bomb timer power units and causing mortar bomb explosions at Crossmaglen, Forkhill, Belleek and Newry RUC stations.
He is also accused of causing explosions at Banbridge on August 1 1998 and Finaghy railway halt on May 24 1998 and with conspiring to cause explosions, and possession of explosives, at Blackwaterstown Road, Armagh, at Market Street, Lisburn between March 11 and May 1 1998 and Newry Courthouse between March 3 and July 14 1998.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0806
Published Date: 27-Sep-06
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