SON OF OMAGH BOMB ACCUSED JAILED FOR EXPLOSIVE OFFENCES
Son of Omagh bomb accused jailed for explosives offences
THE son of a man linked to the 1998 Omagh bombing which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins has been jailed for eight and a half years by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin for explosives offences.
Conan Murphy (25) is the son of Dundalk man Colm Murphy who was convicted of the Real IRA bombing but was later cleared in a retrial following a successful appeal.
Conan Murphy, with an address at Plaster, Mount Pleasant, Dundalk, Co Louth, was found guilty at Dublin's Special Criminal Court last month of the possession of explosive substances at Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant on May 22, 2010.
His co-accused Philip McKevitt (58) of Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant, was also found guilty of the same offence at his home on the same date.
Neither of the men have previous convictions.
During their trial, which began over three months ago, the court heard that gardai who raided Philip McKevitt's home discovered in an outbuilding an "adaptive" advertising trailer constructed for the purposes of concealing two gas containers which in turn had been modified to cause an explosion.
Gardai gave evidence that the device, which carried an advertisement for 'FlogTheLot.ie' had reached the final stages of construction before its intended deployment against security forces in the north.
Chief Superintendent Diarmuid O'Sullivan told the court that the device had a capacity of approximately 5OOlbs of explosive mix, giving it the potential to cause death and destruction comparable to a device which killed 29 people in the past.
The court heard evidence during the trial that gardai had placed the address in Co Louth under surveillance as part of an operation focusing on the suspected movement and manufacture of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices by members of the IRA.
The court also heard that gardai uncovered bags of glucose and 377 metres of green-camouflaged wire, which was intended to be used as "command wire" from a firing pack, allowing the device to be detonated from a distance of 500 yards.
It was the prosecution's case that the arrest of the men in such close proximity to the material uncovered, together with evidence gleaned from their arrest, indicated they were in possession of explosive substances.
In Murphy's case, the court found his account of being in the shed where the explosive device was found in order to get firewood for his pot-belly stove to be "incredible".
Sentencing the two men yesterday, Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, said the court had regard to evidence that the device had the capacity to cause "immense damage" to buildings and people and was comparable in size to the Omagh bomb.
However, he said the court noted the device was "not primed and ready to go off".
Mr Justice Butler said the court considered the appropriate sentence in respect of each of the accused men to be one of eight-and-a-half years to date from September 26 last year.
He said the court would not suspend any portion of the sentences imposed as it had no evidence as to the men's future conduct.
Mr Justice Butler said he wished to congratulate Chief Superintendent O'Sullivan on his promotion and on the success of the Garda operation, which was his last case as a member of the Special Detective Unit.
THE son of a man linked to the 1998 Omagh bombing which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins has been jailed for eight and a half years by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin for explosives offences.
Conan Murphy (25) is the son of Dundalk man Colm Murphy who was convicted of the Real IRA bombing but was later cleared in a retrial following a successful appeal.
Conan Murphy, with an address at Plaster, Mount Pleasant, Dundalk, Co Louth, was found guilty at Dublin's Special Criminal Court last month of the possession of explosive substances at Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant on May 22, 2010.
His co-accused Philip McKevitt (58) of Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant, was also found guilty of the same offence at his home on the same date.
Neither of the men have previous convictions.
During their trial, which began over three months ago, the court heard that gardai who raided Philip McKevitt's home discovered in an outbuilding an "adaptive" advertising trailer constructed for the purposes of concealing two gas containers which in turn had been modified to cause an explosion.
Gardai gave evidence that the device, which carried an advertisement for 'FlogTheLot.ie' had reached the final stages of construction before its intended deployment against security forces in the north.
Chief Superintendent Diarmuid O'Sullivan told the court that the device had a capacity of approximately 5OOlbs of explosive mix, giving it the potential to cause death and destruction comparable to a device which killed 29 people in the past.
The court heard evidence during the trial that gardai had placed the address in Co Louth under surveillance as part of an operation focusing on the suspected movement and manufacture of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices by members of the IRA.
The court also heard that gardai uncovered bags of glucose and 377 metres of green-camouflaged wire, which was intended to be used as "command wire" from a firing pack, allowing the device to be detonated from a distance of 500 yards.
It was the prosecution's case that the arrest of the men in such close proximity to the material uncovered, together with evidence gleaned from their arrest, indicated they were in possession of explosive substances.
In Murphy's case, the court found his account of being in the shed where the explosive device was found in order to get firewood for his pot-belly stove to be "incredible".
Sentencing the two men yesterday, Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, said the court had regard to evidence that the device had the capacity to cause "immense damage" to buildings and people and was comparable in size to the Omagh bomb.
However, he said the court noted the device was "not primed and ready to go off".
Mr Justice Butler said the court considered the appropriate sentence in respect of each of the accused men to be one of eight-and-a-half years to date from September 26 last year.
He said the court would not suspend any portion of the sentences imposed as it had no evidence as to the men's future conduct.
Mr Justice Butler said he wished to congratulate Chief Superintendent O'Sullivan on his promotion and on the success of the Garda operation, which was his last case as a member of the Special Detective Unit.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/1067
Published Date: 10-Mar-12
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