JUDGE RULES OMAGH HEARING CAN GO ON
Judge rules Omagh hearing can go on
A JUDGE refused yester day to stop the trial of alleged Omagh bomber Sean Hoey but, as expected, acquitted him of two of the dozens of charges he faces.
Mr Justice Weir told the south Armagh electrician he still had a case to answer on the remaining 56 charges including the murders of the 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, in the Real IRA bombing of Omagh in August 1998.
Refusing a defence application to throw out the case, the Belfast Crown Court judge said the test was not whether there was a "reasonable doubt" about the evidence but whether it was so "discredited or intrinsically weak" he could not convict.
"I have not concluded that the state of the evidence does fail the test," Mr Justice Weir said.
Acquitting Hoey (37) of a car bombing of Banbridge in Co Down just a fortnight before the Omagh atrocity and of conspiracy to murder members of the security forces at Blackwatertown Road in Co Armagh between May and July 1998, he said the prosecution had conceded "quite properly in my view" that there was no evidence to sustain those charges.
On Tuesday of this week, prosecuting QC Gordon Kerr had said in relation to Banbridge, the Crown "do not invite the court to make any finding that there is a case to answer" and in relation to Blackwatertown, "we accept that there may not be evidence to support" the murder plot charge.
The trial has now been adjourned to the new year when in addition to the Omagh bomb murders, Hoey - from Molly Road, Jonesborough - still faces a multitude of other explosives charges.
These relate to five other murder conspiracies, four bombings, four bomb conspiracies and possession of explosives including timer power units, mortar bombs and bombs.
A JUDGE refused yester day to stop the trial of alleged Omagh bomber Sean Hoey but, as expected, acquitted him of two of the dozens of charges he faces.
Mr Justice Weir told the south Armagh electrician he still had a case to answer on the remaining 56 charges including the murders of the 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, in the Real IRA bombing of Omagh in August 1998.
Refusing a defence application to throw out the case, the Belfast Crown Court judge said the test was not whether there was a "reasonable doubt" about the evidence but whether it was so "discredited or intrinsically weak" he could not convict.
"I have not concluded that the state of the evidence does fail the test," Mr Justice Weir said.
Acquitting Hoey (37) of a car bombing of Banbridge in Co Down just a fortnight before the Omagh atrocity and of conspiracy to murder members of the security forces at Blackwatertown Road in Co Armagh between May and July 1998, he said the prosecution had conceded "quite properly in my view" that there was no evidence to sustain those charges.
On Tuesday of this week, prosecuting QC Gordon Kerr had said in relation to Banbridge, the Crown "do not invite the court to make any finding that there is a case to answer" and in relation to Blackwatertown, "we accept that there may not be evidence to support" the murder plot charge.
The trial has now been adjourned to the new year when in addition to the Omagh bomb murders, Hoey - from Molly Road, Jonesborough - still faces a multitude of other explosives charges.
These relate to five other murder conspiracies, four bombings, four bomb conspiracies and possession of explosives including timer power units, mortar bombs and bombs.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0827
Published Date: 22-Dec-06
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