BOMBS 'MADE BY SAME PERSON'
Bombs Tirade by same person
Forensic expert claims 10 pre-Omagh Real IRA devices were identical
BY MICHAEL McHUGH, PA
BOMBS made in the run-up to the dissident republican explosion in Omagh, which killed 29 people, were made by the same person, a witness said yesterday.
Forensic scientist Dennis McAuley told Belfast Crown Court he was convinced 10 bombs planted by the Real IRA in 1998 had been made by the same person.
He claimed the soldering and wiring of timer power units used in the campaign were similar.
Mr McAuley appeared at the trial of Sean Hoey, 37, who is accused of 58 terrorism offences.
Hoey's defence argued Mr McAuley's claim was a guess with no scientific basis.
"I believe there is support for the proposition that these, the Northern Ireland 1998 units, were made by the same person rather than a group of people sharing knowledge.
"It is a combination of things, from the components used, the mounting of the major components, the sequence of the components in the electrical circuit, the wiring characteristics and configuration and the characteristics of the soldered wiring connections," said Mr McAuley.
All the attacks were launched using timer power units (TPUs) contained in plastic lunchboxes, and Mr McAuley claimed they were of poor and unusual quality.
He has examined 47 of the devices during his career at the Forensic Science Laboratories near Belfast.
The RIRA's campaign culminated in a massive explosive in Omagh's Market Street on August 15,1998 which left bodies scattered around the busy shopping street.
Hoey, from Molly Road, Jonesborough, denies any involvement, and his defence team, headed by Orlando Pownall QC, wants Mr McAuley's evidence thrown out because of an alleged lack of scientific expertise.
Mr Pownall said: "This is the only time that you have vouchsafed an opinion about soldering - there is no evidence as to whether the solder used is unique to the Omagh series or not...It's a guess, isn't it?"
The witness denied the accusation and said he had examined many devices. The TPU in question is used to fire a detonator which sets off the explosive. It has been used to deadly effect on many occasions in Northern Ireland.
The RIRA's 1998 onslaught began on March 24 with a failed mortar attack on a security tower in Crossmaglen. There were further attacks on several other Army barracks and police stations across the Province.
A bomb in Banbridge on August 1 exploded, causing a number of minor injuries.
Mr Justice Weir, who is hearing the Diplock trial without a jury to prevent intimidation, is expected to rule on the admissibility of Mr McAuley's evidence later.
The trial continues.
Ex-spy sought as defence witness
DEFENCE lawyers will today try to have a former British spy inside the IRA ordered to appear as a witness at the trial of alleged Omagh bomb mass-murderer Sean Hoey.
A key part of the prosecution's case against Hoey is that the timer power units used in all the explosive devices were constructed by the same person.
Hoey's lawyers want the ex-agent to testify because they believe he could prove that others were capable of making the bomb parts.
An application to issue a summons to force the former spy to take the stand will be heard at Belfast Crown Court, under Mr Justice Weatherup, who is not presiding over the Omagh bomb trial. Judge Weatherup will also be asked to issue witness summonses against three unidentified others.
Fulton has refused requests by Hoey's legal representatives to appear as a witness, claiming it would threaten his and his family's safety.
The lawyers want to put him on the stand in an attempt to damage the Crown case against their client.
Hoey, 37, an electrician from Jonesborough, south Armagh, denies 58 terrorist-related charges, including the massacre of 29 people - among them the mother of unborn twins - in the August 1998 Real IRA Omagh atrocity.
Fulton, who worked undercover in the IRA at the height of its terror campaign, lives in hiding at a secret UK location while he sues the Government over his severance package.
Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan met him about a month ago, but the former spy insisted that his testifying will endanger the lives of himself and his family.
Forensic expert claims 10 pre-Omagh Real IRA devices were identical
BY MICHAEL McHUGH, PA
BOMBS made in the run-up to the dissident republican explosion in Omagh, which killed 29 people, were made by the same person, a witness said yesterday.
Forensic scientist Dennis McAuley told Belfast Crown Court he was convinced 10 bombs planted by the Real IRA in 1998 had been made by the same person.
He claimed the soldering and wiring of timer power units used in the campaign were similar.
Mr McAuley appeared at the trial of Sean Hoey, 37, who is accused of 58 terrorism offences.
Hoey's defence argued Mr McAuley's claim was a guess with no scientific basis.
"I believe there is support for the proposition that these, the Northern Ireland 1998 units, were made by the same person rather than a group of people sharing knowledge.
"It is a combination of things, from the components used, the mounting of the major components, the sequence of the components in the electrical circuit, the wiring characteristics and configuration and the characteristics of the soldered wiring connections," said Mr McAuley.
All the attacks were launched using timer power units (TPUs) contained in plastic lunchboxes, and Mr McAuley claimed they were of poor and unusual quality.
He has examined 47 of the devices during his career at the Forensic Science Laboratories near Belfast.
The RIRA's campaign culminated in a massive explosive in Omagh's Market Street on August 15,1998 which left bodies scattered around the busy shopping street.
Hoey, from Molly Road, Jonesborough, denies any involvement, and his defence team, headed by Orlando Pownall QC, wants Mr McAuley's evidence thrown out because of an alleged lack of scientific expertise.
Mr Pownall said: "This is the only time that you have vouchsafed an opinion about soldering - there is no evidence as to whether the solder used is unique to the Omagh series or not...It's a guess, isn't it?"
The witness denied the accusation and said he had examined many devices. The TPU in question is used to fire a detonator which sets off the explosive. It has been used to deadly effect on many occasions in Northern Ireland.
The RIRA's 1998 onslaught began on March 24 with a failed mortar attack on a security tower in Crossmaglen. There were further attacks on several other Army barracks and police stations across the Province.
A bomb in Banbridge on August 1 exploded, causing a number of minor injuries.
Mr Justice Weir, who is hearing the Diplock trial without a jury to prevent intimidation, is expected to rule on the admissibility of Mr McAuley's evidence later.
The trial continues.
Ex-spy sought as defence witness
DEFENCE lawyers will today try to have a former British spy inside the IRA ordered to appear as a witness at the trial of alleged Omagh bomb mass-murderer Sean Hoey.
A key part of the prosecution's case against Hoey is that the timer power units used in all the explosive devices were constructed by the same person.
Hoey's lawyers want the ex-agent to testify because they believe he could prove that others were capable of making the bomb parts.
An application to issue a summons to force the former spy to take the stand will be heard at Belfast Crown Court, under Mr Justice Weatherup, who is not presiding over the Omagh bomb trial. Judge Weatherup will also be asked to issue witness summonses against three unidentified others.
Fulton has refused requests by Hoey's legal representatives to appear as a witness, claiming it would threaten his and his family's safety.
The lawyers want to put him on the stand in an attempt to damage the Crown case against their client.
Hoey, 37, an electrician from Jonesborough, south Armagh, denies 58 terrorist-related charges, including the massacre of 29 people - among them the mother of unborn twins - in the August 1998 Real IRA Omagh atrocity.
Fulton, who worked undercover in the IRA at the height of its terror campaign, lives in hiding at a secret UK location while he sues the Government over his severance package.
Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan met him about a month ago, but the former spy insisted that his testifying will endanger the lives of himself and his family.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/669
Published Date: 20-Oct-06
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