REAL IRA LEADER LOSES OMAGH BOMB APPEAL
Real IRA leader loses Omagh bomb appeal
BY IVAN LITTLE
TWO dissident republicans have lost a court appeal in Belfast after they were sued by families of the 29 victims of the Omagh bombing. Northern Ireland's worst terrorist atrocity.
Three judges in the Court of Appeal directed that a third man should face a re-trial and they said they would listen to arguments for a retrial of a fourth man.
The 12 relatives who brought the landmark case lost separate appeals over the compensation awarded to them during the original hearing two years ago.
The families took their civil action because they said the authorities had failed to secure a successful criminal conviction over the bombing in August 1998.
In June 2009, Mr Justice Morgan, who is now Northern Ireland's Lord Chief Justice, found that the four men - Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt. Seamus Daly, Liam Campbell and Colm Murphy - were liable for the Real IRA bombing.
Evidence from an American FBI undercover operative, David Rupert, who claimed to have infiltrated the terrorist organisation, was key in the successful action against McKevitt.
But in January this year, the four dissidents launched an appeal in front of Lord Justice Higgins. Lord Justice Girvan and Lord Justice Coghlin.
Yesterday Lord Justice Higgins said the judges were dismissing the appeals by McKevitt and Campbell.
But he said they were directing a re-trial of the claims against Murphy because of a number of legal issues during the original case. Murphy was the first man to be charged in connection with Omagh but he was subsequently cleared by a court in Dublin.
Yesterday, the judges in Belfast said they would listen to legal arguments regarding a re-trial of the claims against Daly.
None of the four men were in court to hear the judges' ruling.
But several relatives of the Omagh victims were present.
They heard the judges dismiss their separate appeals in relation to the amount of aggravated damages awarded to them and against the failure of the trial judge to award them exemplary damages.
Afterwards, Michael Gallagher - whose 21-year-old son Aidan was among the victims - said he was disappointed with the outcome of the case.
"It's fair to say we have mixed feelings. Two of the men we believed were key players are still in the frame but we will be studying the judges' ruling with regard to the other two individuals."
Mr Gallagher said the families' fight for justice would go on.
"To that end we hope to have a meeting soon with the attorney general to discuss some aspects of that."
He said the outcome of the civil action had re-inforced the families calls for a full, cross-border independent public inquiry into the bombing.
Stanley McCombe, whose wife Ann was killed by the bomb, said yesterday's decisions were "a minor blip".
He called on politicians to back the families' calls for a public inquiry.
"The politicians have let us down from 1998 to today," he said.
"They promise you this and promise you that but they never carry it through.
"All we are asking for is the truth. As far as we are concerned the people who carried out the murders in Omagh will never be brought to justice so let's have some closure on this by a public inquiry."
Mr Gallagher said it was up to each of the 12 families to decide whether or not to continue with the legal action.
He added: "It's been a long hard struggle and it looks like we will have to continue."
Lawyers will be back in court on September 9 when the case has been listed for mention.
BY IVAN LITTLE
TWO dissident republicans have lost a court appeal in Belfast after they were sued by families of the 29 victims of the Omagh bombing. Northern Ireland's worst terrorist atrocity.
Three judges in the Court of Appeal directed that a third man should face a re-trial and they said they would listen to arguments for a retrial of a fourth man.
The 12 relatives who brought the landmark case lost separate appeals over the compensation awarded to them during the original hearing two years ago.
The families took their civil action because they said the authorities had failed to secure a successful criminal conviction over the bombing in August 1998.
In June 2009, Mr Justice Morgan, who is now Northern Ireland's Lord Chief Justice, found that the four men - Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt. Seamus Daly, Liam Campbell and Colm Murphy - were liable for the Real IRA bombing.
Evidence from an American FBI undercover operative, David Rupert, who claimed to have infiltrated the terrorist organisation, was key in the successful action against McKevitt.
But in January this year, the four dissidents launched an appeal in front of Lord Justice Higgins. Lord Justice Girvan and Lord Justice Coghlin.
Yesterday Lord Justice Higgins said the judges were dismissing the appeals by McKevitt and Campbell.
But he said they were directing a re-trial of the claims against Murphy because of a number of legal issues during the original case. Murphy was the first man to be charged in connection with Omagh but he was subsequently cleared by a court in Dublin.
Yesterday, the judges in Belfast said they would listen to legal arguments regarding a re-trial of the claims against Daly.
None of the four men were in court to hear the judges' ruling.
But several relatives of the Omagh victims were present.
They heard the judges dismiss their separate appeals in relation to the amount of aggravated damages awarded to them and against the failure of the trial judge to award them exemplary damages.
Afterwards, Michael Gallagher - whose 21-year-old son Aidan was among the victims - said he was disappointed with the outcome of the case.
"It's fair to say we have mixed feelings. Two of the men we believed were key players are still in the frame but we will be studying the judges' ruling with regard to the other two individuals."
Mr Gallagher said the families' fight for justice would go on.
"To that end we hope to have a meeting soon with the attorney general to discuss some aspects of that."
He said the outcome of the civil action had re-inforced the families calls for a full, cross-border independent public inquiry into the bombing.
Stanley McCombe, whose wife Ann was killed by the bomb, said yesterday's decisions were "a minor blip".
He called on politicians to back the families' calls for a public inquiry.
"The politicians have let us down from 1998 to today," he said.
"They promise you this and promise you that but they never carry it through.
"All we are asking for is the truth. As far as we are concerned the people who carried out the murders in Omagh will never be brought to justice so let's have some closure on this by a public inquiry."
Mr Gallagher said it was up to each of the 12 families to decide whether or not to continue with the legal action.
He added: "It's been a long hard struggle and it looks like we will have to continue."
Lawyers will be back in court on September 9 when the case has been listed for mention.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/826
Published Date: 08-Jul-11
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