IN/0873

Relatives vow to pursue civil case

High Court bid by relatives of the Omagh bomb victims to win £14 million compensation against the men they claim were responsible for the atrocity will still go ahead.
Even though Sean Hoey has been cleared of the murders of the 29 people killed in the attack in August 1998, the civil action is scheduled to begin in Belfast in April. Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan (21) was among the victims, said: "We have no choice. Our backs are to the wall."
The not guilty verdict means that almost 10 years after the bombing, no-one has been convicted of the single worst atrocity in the north.
Hoey's uncle, Colm Murphy (52), from Dundalk, Co Louth, is resisting fresh legal moves to have him re-tried in Dublin on charges connected with Omagh.
The bombing was carried out by the republican dissident group, the Real IRA, and Murphy is one of the five men named by the relatives in the civil action.
Relatives believe that there is now virtually no chance at this stage of new criminal charges being brought against any of the other suspects linked to the no-warning car bombing which also injured hundreds.
Mr Gallagher said nothing short of a full-scale cross border public inquiry would get to the truth of what really happened.
Even with the High Court action due to begin in April, the pressure on the British and Irish governments to agree to a tribunal of investigation would be maintained, he said.
"The not guilty verdict was without doubt the lowest point for the families since the day of the bombing," Mr Gallagher said.
"The fact that a man would walk away from 56 charges must represent some sort of legal record.
"It was painful for all of us, but we retained our dignity and we will continue to press the governments to hound out the people involved in this horrible crime, no matter how long that takes."