NO MEMORY CLAIMS WITNESS IN BOMB TRIAL
No memory', claims witness in bomb trial
BY ALAN ERWIN
newsdesk@newsletter.co.uk
A FORMER associate of an Omagh bomb suspect appeared at the High Court in Belfast yesterday to claim he has no memory of events which lawyers want to question him about.
Terence Patrick Morgan, who is receiving psychiatric treatment, took the stand briefly after being ordered to attend the multi-million pound trial of five men being sued over the terrorist atrocity.
Lawyers for three of the defendants want to question him about claims he made during police interviews following the August 1998 Real IRA attack which killed 29 people and unborn twins.
During those sessions it was alleged that he falsely signed in one of them, Seamus McKenna, as being at work on the day of the bombing.
The court has also heard further claims that Morgan - who worked as a foreman for Colm Murphy, another of the men being sued - lent his mobile phone to his boss the day before the Real IRA attack.
Another allegation to emerge from police transcripts read out during the trial involved Morgan saying he was teasingly accused by Seamus Daly, another defendant in the civil action, of driving the car packed with explosives to the scene of the blast.
Police were told Daly drunkenly made the taunts in a bar on the night of the bombing.
McKenna, Daly and Murphy - together with convicted Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt and Liam Campbell - all deny responsibility in the landmark case being brought by the families of some victims.
Morgan turned up at the High Court after being subpoenaed by McKenna's barrister Brian Fee QC.
Mr Fee told the trial that the witness was receiving psychiatric care.
Morgan was asked several times by the trial judge whether he wanted to give his evidence - each time responding by saying he could not remember.
Eventually, Morgan said: "No matter what you do with me, I can't remember anything."
Deciding not to have him give evidence yet. the judge said a specialist assessment may explain why he claimed to have no recollection.
BY ALAN ERWIN
newsdesk@newsletter.co.uk
A FORMER associate of an Omagh bomb suspect appeared at the High Court in Belfast yesterday to claim he has no memory of events which lawyers want to question him about.
Terence Patrick Morgan, who is receiving psychiatric treatment, took the stand briefly after being ordered to attend the multi-million pound trial of five men being sued over the terrorist atrocity.
Lawyers for three of the defendants want to question him about claims he made during police interviews following the August 1998 Real IRA attack which killed 29 people and unborn twins.
During those sessions it was alleged that he falsely signed in one of them, Seamus McKenna, as being at work on the day of the bombing.
The court has also heard further claims that Morgan - who worked as a foreman for Colm Murphy, another of the men being sued - lent his mobile phone to his boss the day before the Real IRA attack.
Another allegation to emerge from police transcripts read out during the trial involved Morgan saying he was teasingly accused by Seamus Daly, another defendant in the civil action, of driving the car packed with explosives to the scene of the blast.
Police were told Daly drunkenly made the taunts in a bar on the night of the bombing.
McKenna, Daly and Murphy - together with convicted Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt and Liam Campbell - all deny responsibility in the landmark case being brought by the families of some victims.
Morgan turned up at the High Court after being subpoenaed by McKenna's barrister Brian Fee QC.
Mr Fee told the trial that the witness was receiving psychiatric care.
Morgan was asked several times by the trial judge whether he wanted to give his evidence - each time responding by saying he could not remember.
Eventually, Morgan said: "No matter what you do with me, I can't remember anything."
Deciding not to have him give evidence yet. the judge said a specialist assessment may explain why he claimed to have no recollection.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/790
Published Date: 11-Nov-08
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