PM DIDNT HAVE TIME FOR OMAGH RELATIVE
PM 'didn't have time' for Omagh relative
BY STAFF REPORTER
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown told the husband of an Omagh bomb victim that he "didn't have time" to meet him to discuss the flawed investigation into the atrocity that killed his wife, it has been claimed.
Kevin Skelton's wife Mena died in the 1998 Real IRA car bomb attack that killed a total of 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Hundreds more were injured in the worst single loss of life in the Troubles.
Omagh relatives' spokesman Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan died in the blast, revealed the relatives had also written to Mr Brown on January 2 to request a meeting, but had yet to receive a reply.
Speaking before a meeting with members of the Policing Board to enlist support for an all-island inquiry into the atrocity, Mr Gallagher said he was aware Mr Skelton had written to the Prime Minister on his own behalf and that he had received a reply that disappointed him.
"I heard something like Mr Brown replying that he didn't have time to see him," he said.
The Omagh support group's call for a cross-border inquiry into the bombing will be considered by the Policing Board next week, after members met relatives in Omagh last night.
The meeting lasted more than two-and-a-half hours and the board members agreed to consider adding their weight to the demand for an all-Ireland judicial inquiry.
The board had its first meeting with the Omagh families since the acquittal of Sean Hoey on all charges related to the bombing and the judge's criticism of police.
The discussions were held ahead of the board's expected decision on the terms of reference for a planned external investigation of how the police have investigated the atrocity.
Only three of the 10 political representatives on the board attended, although seven independent members were there. The MLAs who did travel to Omagh are Tom Buchanan of the DUP, Dolores Kelly of the SDLP and Sinn Fein's Daithi McKay.
Mr Gallagher said the discussions had been "very robust".
He added: "We expressed our amazement that the board was thinking about appointing an investigator to investigate the previous investigations.
"What we need now is one final overarching investigation into all aspects of the bombing. This is an all-island problem and we need an all-island investigation into the bomb investigations on both sides of the border."
BY STAFF REPORTER
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown told the husband of an Omagh bomb victim that he "didn't have time" to meet him to discuss the flawed investigation into the atrocity that killed his wife, it has been claimed.
Kevin Skelton's wife Mena died in the 1998 Real IRA car bomb attack that killed a total of 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Hundreds more were injured in the worst single loss of life in the Troubles.
Omagh relatives' spokesman Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan died in the blast, revealed the relatives had also written to Mr Brown on January 2 to request a meeting, but had yet to receive a reply.
Speaking before a meeting with members of the Policing Board to enlist support for an all-island inquiry into the atrocity, Mr Gallagher said he was aware Mr Skelton had written to the Prime Minister on his own behalf and that he had received a reply that disappointed him.
"I heard something like Mr Brown replying that he didn't have time to see him," he said.
The Omagh support group's call for a cross-border inquiry into the bombing will be considered by the Policing Board next week, after members met relatives in Omagh last night.
The meeting lasted more than two-and-a-half hours and the board members agreed to consider adding their weight to the demand for an all-Ireland judicial inquiry.
The board had its first meeting with the Omagh families since the acquittal of Sean Hoey on all charges related to the bombing and the judge's criticism of police.
The discussions were held ahead of the board's expected decision on the terms of reference for a planned external investigation of how the police have investigated the atrocity.
Only three of the 10 political representatives on the board attended, although seven independent members were there. The MLAs who did travel to Omagh are Tom Buchanan of the DUP, Dolores Kelly of the SDLP and Sinn Fein's Daithi McKay.
Mr Gallagher said the discussions had been "very robust".
He added: "We expressed our amazement that the board was thinking about appointing an investigator to investigate the previous investigations.
"What we need now is one final overarching investigation into all aspects of the bombing. This is an all-island problem and we need an all-island investigation into the bomb investigations on both sides of the border."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/725
Published Date: 31-Jan-08
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