LONG VIOLENT HISTORY OF THE OMAGH BOMB CONSPIRATOR
Long, violent history of Omagh bomb conspirator
By MARK SAGE
A PUBLICAN was yesterday convicted of conspiring to cause the Omagh bombing. Colm Murphy was found guilty at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. The three-judge panel took a week and a day to reach a verdict and Mr Justice Robert Barr told Murphy, 49, from Dundalk: "It was the worst atrocity in Northern Ireland since 1969."
Mr Justice Barr said: "The accused is a republican terrorist of long standing, having been convicted of a series of offences of this nature in both this state and the United States and having served jail sentences."
Murphy, a father of four, showed no reaction as the verdict was delivered. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The only man ever to be charged in connection with the blast. Murphy was found to have handed over two mobile phones to an associate of a suspected senior Real IRA terrorist plotting the attack.
The phones were used in the operation to transport the bomb to the town in August 1998. The explosion killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured more than 300 others. It was the single worst atrocity in the history of the Troubles.
Mr Justice Barr, presiding, told the wealthy publican and land-owner, who also ran a large building firm until his arrest, that he was a proven liar, with a "long history" of violent republican activity.
He said admissions made by Murphy, but later denied, in evidence had a "firm ring of truth". And the judges rejected a retraction of evidence by Murphy's second cousin Terence Morgan.
On hearing the verdict, Laurence Rush, whose wife Libbi died in the blast, broke down in tears and sobbed: "I'm so relieved." During the 25-day trial the court heard that Murphy loaned his mobile phone to terrorists who bombed Banbridge a month before the attack on Omagh, injuring more than 35 people. Senior Counsel Peter Charleton, prosecuting, said: "Having aided in terms of the supply of something useful in the Banbridge bombing, the accused between the dates of the indictment, lent his aid to persons he knew were doing a bombing run.
"As it happens that was to Omagh and as it happens there was a terrible loss of life in Omagh. The accused was not present there. He did not carry the bomb there, but the evidence is capable of an inference that he aided in terms of the setting of the bomb, without necessarily knowing where it was going to be set off." The judges accepted yesterday that: "On August 14 the accused borrowed a mobile phone from his foreman, Patrick Terence Morgan by way of subterfuge.
"He gave the latter phone and his own mobile phone to one Seamus Daly, a dissident republican terrorist in Dundalk, that day."
After the blast, intelligence led police to the home of Murphy where they seized his mobile phone and telephone records. That day, February 21, 1999, Murphy was arrested.
Murphy had as many as seven alibis for the day of the Omagh bombing - he was in his pub, the Emerald in Dundalk, at the time.
But experts from Vodafone, RUC officers and Northern Ireland Office intelligence agents tracked the movements of Murphy's phone on the day of the slaughter.
His own mobile phone, and that of his building site foreman Terence Morgan, which police said Murphy borrowed, were tracked moving from Co Monaghan to Omagh and back again. There were 11 calls to and from Murphy's phone in the area on the afternoon of the atrocity. The court heard that Murphy's phone was used in Omagh at 1.57pm on the day of the explosion.
Mr Morgan's mobile was used in the town at 2.09pm, less than an hour before the blast tore through Market Street.
During questioning Murphy told police he thought the phones would be used by republicans to move rifles or "gear".
Mr Morgan was arrested at his Armagh home at the same time as Murphy and his mobile seized, but he was released without charge.
Despite yesterday's verdict the prosecution suffered major setbacks during the trial.
On day 20, forensic scientist detective garda Geraldine Butler revealed that an electrostatic detection apparatus test showed that page three of notes, written while officers Liam Donnelly and John Fahy were interviewing Murphy, were re-written.
After a defence application to have the case thrown out, the pair were deemed "discredited witnesses" and attacked by Mr Justice Barr for their "outrageous" behaviour.
On the penultimate day Mr Morgan - a second cousin of Murphy - withdrew evidence which implicated Murphy.
He returned to the witness box to change his story, saying Garda officers had pressured him to say he lent his mobile phone to Murphy.
On this the judges yesterday concluded that Mr Morgan's demeanour carried "a clear impression of discomfort and untruthfulness" when he gave evidence retracting his initial allegation.
Despite the setbacks in the prosecution case Mr Justice Barr, accompanied by Judge Mary O'Halloran and Mr Justice Joseph Matthews,
decided that Murphy was guilty of the conspiracy.
Sentencing was adjourned until Friday.
Michael O'Higgins, defending, said: "There are matters in the judgment that cause very great concern."
As Murphy was led away from the dock he waved to family members who called out to him.
By MARK SAGE
A PUBLICAN was yesterday convicted of conspiring to cause the Omagh bombing. Colm Murphy was found guilty at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. The three-judge panel took a week and a day to reach a verdict and Mr Justice Robert Barr told Murphy, 49, from Dundalk: "It was the worst atrocity in Northern Ireland since 1969."
Mr Justice Barr said: "The accused is a republican terrorist of long standing, having been convicted of a series of offences of this nature in both this state and the United States and having served jail sentences."
Murphy, a father of four, showed no reaction as the verdict was delivered. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The only man ever to be charged in connection with the blast. Murphy was found to have handed over two mobile phones to an associate of a suspected senior Real IRA terrorist plotting the attack.
The phones were used in the operation to transport the bomb to the town in August 1998. The explosion killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured more than 300 others. It was the single worst atrocity in the history of the Troubles.
Mr Justice Barr, presiding, told the wealthy publican and land-owner, who also ran a large building firm until his arrest, that he was a proven liar, with a "long history" of violent republican activity.
He said admissions made by Murphy, but later denied, in evidence had a "firm ring of truth". And the judges rejected a retraction of evidence by Murphy's second cousin Terence Morgan.
On hearing the verdict, Laurence Rush, whose wife Libbi died in the blast, broke down in tears and sobbed: "I'm so relieved." During the 25-day trial the court heard that Murphy loaned his mobile phone to terrorists who bombed Banbridge a month before the attack on Omagh, injuring more than 35 people. Senior Counsel Peter Charleton, prosecuting, said: "Having aided in terms of the supply of something useful in the Banbridge bombing, the accused between the dates of the indictment, lent his aid to persons he knew were doing a bombing run.
"As it happens that was to Omagh and as it happens there was a terrible loss of life in Omagh. The accused was not present there. He did not carry the bomb there, but the evidence is capable of an inference that he aided in terms of the setting of the bomb, without necessarily knowing where it was going to be set off." The judges accepted yesterday that: "On August 14 the accused borrowed a mobile phone from his foreman, Patrick Terence Morgan by way of subterfuge.
"He gave the latter phone and his own mobile phone to one Seamus Daly, a dissident republican terrorist in Dundalk, that day."
After the blast, intelligence led police to the home of Murphy where they seized his mobile phone and telephone records. That day, February 21, 1999, Murphy was arrested.
Murphy had as many as seven alibis for the day of the Omagh bombing - he was in his pub, the Emerald in Dundalk, at the time.
But experts from Vodafone, RUC officers and Northern Ireland Office intelligence agents tracked the movements of Murphy's phone on the day of the slaughter.
His own mobile phone, and that of his building site foreman Terence Morgan, which police said Murphy borrowed, were tracked moving from Co Monaghan to Omagh and back again. There were 11 calls to and from Murphy's phone in the area on the afternoon of the atrocity. The court heard that Murphy's phone was used in Omagh at 1.57pm on the day of the explosion.
Mr Morgan's mobile was used in the town at 2.09pm, less than an hour before the blast tore through Market Street.
During questioning Murphy told police he thought the phones would be used by republicans to move rifles or "gear".
Mr Morgan was arrested at his Armagh home at the same time as Murphy and his mobile seized, but he was released without charge.
Despite yesterday's verdict the prosecution suffered major setbacks during the trial.
On day 20, forensic scientist detective garda Geraldine Butler revealed that an electrostatic detection apparatus test showed that page three of notes, written while officers Liam Donnelly and John Fahy were interviewing Murphy, were re-written.
After a defence application to have the case thrown out, the pair were deemed "discredited witnesses" and attacked by Mr Justice Barr for their "outrageous" behaviour.
On the penultimate day Mr Morgan - a second cousin of Murphy - withdrew evidence which implicated Murphy.
He returned to the witness box to change his story, saying Garda officers had pressured him to say he lent his mobile phone to Murphy.
On this the judges yesterday concluded that Mr Morgan's demeanour carried "a clear impression of discomfort and untruthfulness" when he gave evidence retracting his initial allegation.
Despite the setbacks in the prosecution case Mr Justice Barr, accompanied by Judge Mary O'Halloran and Mr Justice Joseph Matthews,
decided that Murphy was guilty of the conspiracy.
Sentencing was adjourned until Friday.
Michael O'Higgins, defending, said: "There are matters in the judgment that cause very great concern."
As Murphy was led away from the dock he waved to family members who called out to him.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/412
Published Date: 23-Jan-02
Related Images
