CASE 'LET-DOWN' SPARKS CALL FOR PUBLIC ENQUIRY
Case 'let-down' sparks call for public inquiry
BY PAUL HIGGINS
IN the media scrum outside the court, the police officer who led the investigation, Det Chief Supt Norman Baxter, refused to answer any questions while Hoey's mother Rita declared: "I want the world to know that my son is innocent."
A colleague of DCS Baxter told reporters that the officer would not be answering questions after he read a prepared statement.
He shouted back to journalists who were asking "what do you have to say about lying officers -come back, you have questions to answer" that that "was not the deal".
Previously, DCS Baxter said it had been "another devastating day for the victims of Omagh and the people who lost many loved ones and a tragic day" and described the atrocity as a "murder without remorse... without mercy".
Talking about Mr Justice Weir's ruling, he said the PSNI would "study" the judgment and consider the recommendations.
However, when reporters asked DCS Baxter if he believed the police had "anything to apologise for", he walked away from the gathered Press, photographers and camera crews.
He was followed by Omagh spokesman Michael Gallagher, who said that the "catalogue of events really beggars belief" and that it was a "major mistake to bring in unprofessional DNA [evidence] in such a murder case".
"I think back to the day the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach said that no stone would be unturned in the hunt..." he told the cameras and added that he believed that both governments now "cannot refuse the families a full, across the board, public enquiry".
Asked if the police investigation team had "questions to answer", Mr Gallagher said the families would be seeking a meeting with the Chief Constable and the Secretary of State early in the New Year.
He was asked if he felt let down by the police and replied that as he sat through every day of the 56-day trial he felt "lower and lower".
In a statement, the police expressed its "deep regret that the many victims and their relatives have not yet seen anyone made amenable for these crimes" and pledged to ensure any organisational or procedural shortcomings were addressed.
It added: "But our primary focus will continue to be to bring all those responsible for these crimes, most notably the Omagh bombing, before the courts.
"Our investigations will continue and we would ask anyone with information about these crimes to come forward."
After he emerged from the court along with Hoey's mother Rita, solicitor Peter Corrigan said Hoey's continued denial of involvement had been "completely vindicated by a reasoned, long and considered judgment".
"Our hearfelt sympathies go to the victims of the Omagh atrocity who were murdered," said the solicitor, "that's our sincere, genuine sympathy and we support them in their quest for a public inquiry."
BY PAUL HIGGINS
IN the media scrum outside the court, the police officer who led the investigation, Det Chief Supt Norman Baxter, refused to answer any questions while Hoey's mother Rita declared: "I want the world to know that my son is innocent."
A colleague of DCS Baxter told reporters that the officer would not be answering questions after he read a prepared statement.
He shouted back to journalists who were asking "what do you have to say about lying officers -come back, you have questions to answer" that that "was not the deal".
Previously, DCS Baxter said it had been "another devastating day for the victims of Omagh and the people who lost many loved ones and a tragic day" and described the atrocity as a "murder without remorse... without mercy".
Talking about Mr Justice Weir's ruling, he said the PSNI would "study" the judgment and consider the recommendations.
However, when reporters asked DCS Baxter if he believed the police had "anything to apologise for", he walked away from the gathered Press, photographers and camera crews.
He was followed by Omagh spokesman Michael Gallagher, who said that the "catalogue of events really beggars belief" and that it was a "major mistake to bring in unprofessional DNA [evidence] in such a murder case".
"I think back to the day the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach said that no stone would be unturned in the hunt..." he told the cameras and added that he believed that both governments now "cannot refuse the families a full, across the board, public enquiry".
Asked if the police investigation team had "questions to answer", Mr Gallagher said the families would be seeking a meeting with the Chief Constable and the Secretary of State early in the New Year.
He was asked if he felt let down by the police and replied that as he sat through every day of the 56-day trial he felt "lower and lower".
In a statement, the police expressed its "deep regret that the many victims and their relatives have not yet seen anyone made amenable for these crimes" and pledged to ensure any organisational or procedural shortcomings were addressed.
It added: "But our primary focus will continue to be to bring all those responsible for these crimes, most notably the Omagh bombing, before the courts.
"Our investigations will continue and we would ask anyone with information about these crimes to come forward."
After he emerged from the court along with Hoey's mother Rita, solicitor Peter Corrigan said Hoey's continued denial of involvement had been "completely vindicated by a reasoned, long and considered judgment".
"Our hearfelt sympathies go to the victims of the Omagh atrocity who were murdered," said the solicitor, "that's our sincere, genuine sympathy and we support them in their quest for a public inquiry."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/713
Published Date: 21-Dec-07
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