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Omagh suspect's sentence 'lenient'

RELATIVES of the Omagh bomb victims condemned as "lenient" the sentence given yesterday to one of the men suspected of being responsible for the atrocity.
Seamus Daly, 34, of Culloville, near Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after pleading guilty at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin to membership of the Real IRA.
He is one of five men being sued in a landmark civil action by the families of victims.
Justice Paul Butler said he had no evidence of Daly's level of involvement with the IRA. He noted that Daly had no previous convictions and had to be given credit for his early guilty plea.
The maximum sentence for the charge is seven years.
Daly, Seamus McKenna, Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell and Colm Murphy are being sued for £10 million by relatives of the 29 people killed in the blast on August 15, 1998.
Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was killed, said he was incredibly disappointed with the jail term.
"Given the statement that justice minister Michael McDowell made just two weeks ago saying that this was an organisation still attempting to commit more Omaghs, the message the court is giving does not make sense," he said.
"The lenient sentences that these people are getting do not suggest they are as wicked and evil as Mr McDowell says."
Laurence Rush, whose wife Elizabeth was killed, said he was "astounded, disgusted and sad".