IN/0899

Legal aid 'bias' in Omagh case

TWO of the men being sued in the Omagh bombing compensation case launched an appeal yesterday against alleged legal aid bias in the civil action. Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were challenging methods used by the British government to help fund the £14 million lawsuit. Central to their case was the Lord Chancellor's decision to approve exceptional legal aid of more than £800,000 to victims' relatives taking the action. Yesterday their lawyers said the Lord Chancellor had predetermined the outcome of the legal aid process by making public pledges to offer financial assistance to the Omagh relatives before any legal authorisation. With lawyers for the Lord Chancellor and the Legal Services Commission still to respond, judgment is expected to be reserved.