PROBE POLICE FILES SAYS OMAGH JUDGE
Probe police files says Omagh judge
THE judge presiding over the Omagh bombing trial has called for a full investigation into why some police statements relating to the case appear to have been altered or lost.
Mr Justice Weir said a probe should be "pressed on with, with all dispatch" even though a trial was ongoing. The trial has heard that witness statements from two people who have already given evidence - a police officer and a scenes-of-crime officer - appeared to have been altered and the originals lost. It has been alleged that the statements were "beefed up" to give the impression that certain forensic precautions, such as the wearing of protective clothing, had been taken to minimise DNA contamination at the scene of an explosives find.
The statements relate to a device found at Altmore Forest near. Dungannon, Co Tyrone, in 2001. This device is one of a number being attributed to the defendant, south Armagh man Sean Hoey (37).
Hoey, from Molly Road in Jonesborough, denies 29 murder charges relating to the 1998 Omagh bombing as well as explosives charges linked to Crossmaglen, Forkhill, Newry and Belleek.
Detective Chief Superintendent Norman Baxter, who headed the Omagh bombing investigation, told the court he had spoken to Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan about the concerns raised by the court regarding altered and lost statements.
He said it was deemed inappropriate to investigate while the trial was running.
Mr Justice Weir said: "There is no disadvantage to be suffered by the accused in this case for the matter being promptly and efficiently investigated."
Also giving evidence at yesterday's hearing was Detective Sergeant Colin Monteith.
He prepared the evidence file in the case, amounting to more than 700 statements, including the apparently inconsistent ones.
When asked by defence barrister Orlando Pownall QC about the presence of two inconsistent statements made by a police colleague, Mr Monteith said he had "made a mistake" by not noticing this.
The officer told the court that only when the trial had started did he realise there were two similar statements
bearing the same date that formed evidence in the case.
He denied that he and a colleague had decided to beef up the evidence.
The case continues.
THE judge presiding over the Omagh bombing trial has called for a full investigation into why some police statements relating to the case appear to have been altered or lost.
Mr Justice Weir said a probe should be "pressed on with, with all dispatch" even though a trial was ongoing. The trial has heard that witness statements from two people who have already given evidence - a police officer and a scenes-of-crime officer - appeared to have been altered and the originals lost. It has been alleged that the statements were "beefed up" to give the impression that certain forensic precautions, such as the wearing of protective clothing, had been taken to minimise DNA contamination at the scene of an explosives find.
The statements relate to a device found at Altmore Forest near. Dungannon, Co Tyrone, in 2001. This device is one of a number being attributed to the defendant, south Armagh man Sean Hoey (37).
Hoey, from Molly Road in Jonesborough, denies 29 murder charges relating to the 1998 Omagh bombing as well as explosives charges linked to Crossmaglen, Forkhill, Newry and Belleek.
Detective Chief Superintendent Norman Baxter, who headed the Omagh bombing investigation, told the court he had spoken to Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan about the concerns raised by the court regarding altered and lost statements.
He said it was deemed inappropriate to investigate while the trial was running.
Mr Justice Weir said: "There is no disadvantage to be suffered by the accused in this case for the matter being promptly and efficiently investigated."
Also giving evidence at yesterday's hearing was Detective Sergeant Colin Monteith.
He prepared the evidence file in the case, amounting to more than 700 statements, including the apparently inconsistent ones.
When asked by defence barrister Orlando Pownall QC about the presence of two inconsistent statements made by a police colleague, Mr Monteith said he had "made a mistake" by not noticing this.
The officer told the court that only when the trial had started did he realise there were two similar statements
bearing the same date that formed evidence in the case.
He denied that he and a colleague had decided to beef up the evidence.
The case continues.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0819
Published Date: 24-Nov-06
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