SUSPECT WAS NOT AT WORK
Suspect 'was not at work'
BY ALAN ERWIN
ONE of the Omagh bomb suspects was falsely signed in as being at work on the day of the atrocity, the High Court heard yesterday.
A detective who led the hunt for the terrorists who murdered 29 people said Patrick Terence Morgan claimed to have registered Seamus McKenna at their building site that Saturday even though he had not turned up.
Giving evidence at the multi-million pound civil action in Belfast, retired Chief Superintendent Hamilton Houston said Morgan made the admission to him when he was questioned following the August 15, 1998 attack.
The court was also told Morgan, who worked as a foreman for Colm Murphy - another of the five men being sued by relatives of some of the victims - lent his mobile phone to his boss the day before the bombing.
Cross-examining Mr Houston, Brian Fee QC, for McKenna, said: "Your recollection is that Mr Morgan indicated he signed Mr McKenna into work even though Mr McKenna wasn't at work, and that's really the information he gave you about Mr McKenna, off the record as it were."
The former officer replied: "Yes, to the best of knowledge."
Morgan was helping to run Murphy's sub-contract on the Dublin City University site at the time of the bomb, the court heard.
As the issue of who had shown up for work that day dominated proceedings, extracts from police interviews in February 1999 were read out.
At one stage Morgan told detectives he had "some job keeping track" of the men on site.
Mr Fee also stressed that a roll-call system was in place so the main contractor could check who was there each day.
He asked: "Were you aware that subsequent to this interviewing process, both on tape and whatever discussions took place off tape, that Mr Morgan retracted his account?"
Mr Houston accepted: "I have been led to believe that."
McKenna and Murphy are being sued along with convicted terrorist leader Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell and Seamus Daly for their alleged involvement in the Omagh massacre. All five men deny responsibility.
BY ALAN ERWIN
ONE of the Omagh bomb suspects was falsely signed in as being at work on the day of the atrocity, the High Court heard yesterday.
A detective who led the hunt for the terrorists who murdered 29 people said Patrick Terence Morgan claimed to have registered Seamus McKenna at their building site that Saturday even though he had not turned up.
Giving evidence at the multi-million pound civil action in Belfast, retired Chief Superintendent Hamilton Houston said Morgan made the admission to him when he was questioned following the August 15, 1998 attack.
The court was also told Morgan, who worked as a foreman for Colm Murphy - another of the five men being sued by relatives of some of the victims - lent his mobile phone to his boss the day before the bombing.
Cross-examining Mr Houston, Brian Fee QC, for McKenna, said: "Your recollection is that Mr Morgan indicated he signed Mr McKenna into work even though Mr McKenna wasn't at work, and that's really the information he gave you about Mr McKenna, off the record as it were."
The former officer replied: "Yes, to the best of knowledge."
Morgan was helping to run Murphy's sub-contract on the Dublin City University site at the time of the bomb, the court heard.
As the issue of who had shown up for work that day dominated proceedings, extracts from police interviews in February 1999 were read out.
At one stage Morgan told detectives he had "some job keeping track" of the men on site.
Mr Fee also stressed that a roll-call system was in place so the main contractor could check who was there each day.
He asked: "Were you aware that subsequent to this interviewing process, both on tape and whatever discussions took place off tape, that Mr Morgan retracted his account?"
Mr Houston accepted: "I have been led to believe that."
McKenna and Murphy are being sued along with convicted terrorist leader Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell and Seamus Daly for their alleged involvement in the Omagh massacre. All five men deny responsibility.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/759
Published Date: 17-Jun-08
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