HOEY DISSIDENT BOMB CHARGES SET TO BE DISMISSED
Hoey dissident bomb charges set to be dismissed
BY MICHAEL McHUGH, PA
UNRELATED charges against the man accused of making the Omagh bomb are expected to be dropped after a prosecutor admitted to gaps in the evidence.
Some Real IRA explosive charges relating to the 1998 bombing of Banbridge and a device discovered on the Blackwatertown Road, Armagh, against Sean Hoey, 37, are likely to be dismissed.
Hoey denies 58 charges linked to dissident republican activity including 29 murders at Omagh.
In referring to Blackwatertown Road, prosecuting QC Gordon Kerr told Belfast Crown Court: "As such it is not possible to determine the exact purposes of the device.
"We accept that the evidence as called does not lead to the conclusion (that Hoey conspired to murder)."
The Blackwatertown bomb was discovered by the roadside and did not detonate. The Banbridge device exploded in the centre of the town causing extensive damage but no deaths.
Both cases were connected by the police to the dissident republican campaign, which culminated in the Omagh bomb of August 15, 1998.
The defendant's team of lawyers applied to trial judge Mr Justice Weir to halt the case because they claimed the evidence was insufficient.
Hoey's DNA was found on three of the devices and prosecutors have also been relying on similarities in construction methods between the bombs.
Prosecutors allege that DNA from the accused was found on a device discovered in April 2001 in a van at Altmore forest park in Tyrone.
Mr Kerr added: "We submit that the finding of DNA on that device is considerably significant, firstly because it suggests a direct connection between Hoey and the construction.
"There are layers of circumstantial evidence here and it is a matter for the tribunal of fact to decide at what level the tribunal is satisfied that the test is reached."
The defendant, an electrician from Molly Road, Jonesborough, is the first person to be charged with murder at Omagh.
Hoey's barrister, Orlando Pownall, said there were fundamental flaws in the Crown case, which was in danger of falling away.
Mr Justice Weir is to rule on the application tomorrow.
BY MICHAEL McHUGH, PA
UNRELATED charges against the man accused of making the Omagh bomb are expected to be dropped after a prosecutor admitted to gaps in the evidence.
Some Real IRA explosive charges relating to the 1998 bombing of Banbridge and a device discovered on the Blackwatertown Road, Armagh, against Sean Hoey, 37, are likely to be dismissed.
Hoey denies 58 charges linked to dissident republican activity including 29 murders at Omagh.
In referring to Blackwatertown Road, prosecuting QC Gordon Kerr told Belfast Crown Court: "As such it is not possible to determine the exact purposes of the device.
"We accept that the evidence as called does not lead to the conclusion (that Hoey conspired to murder)."
The Blackwatertown bomb was discovered by the roadside and did not detonate. The Banbridge device exploded in the centre of the town causing extensive damage but no deaths.
Both cases were connected by the police to the dissident republican campaign, which culminated in the Omagh bomb of August 15, 1998.
The defendant's team of lawyers applied to trial judge Mr Justice Weir to halt the case because they claimed the evidence was insufficient.
Hoey's DNA was found on three of the devices and prosecutors have also been relying on similarities in construction methods between the bombs.
Prosecutors allege that DNA from the accused was found on a device discovered in April 2001 in a van at Altmore forest park in Tyrone.
Mr Kerr added: "We submit that the finding of DNA on that device is considerably significant, firstly because it suggests a direct connection between Hoey and the construction.
"There are layers of circumstantial evidence here and it is a matter for the tribunal of fact to decide at what level the tribunal is satisfied that the test is reached."
The defendant, an electrician from Molly Road, Jonesborough, is the first person to be charged with murder at Omagh.
Hoey's barrister, Orlando Pownall, said there were fundamental flaws in the Crown case, which was in danger of falling away.
Mr Justice Weir is to rule on the application tomorrow.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/681
Published Date: 20-Dec-06
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