MURPHY TRIAL CONTINUES WITH DENIAL OVER REWRITTEN GARDAI NOTES
Murphy trial continues with denial over rewritten Gardai notes
A DETECTIVE Garda has denied that police had rewritten interview notes in order to build the case against Omagh bomb accused Colm Murphy.
Detective Garda, John Fahy told the court Murphy had failed to explain why his mobile telephone was in Omagh on August 15, the day of the bomb.
He told the court that Murphy had tried to "put himself as far away from Omagh as possible".
Murphy is accused of consipracy to cause the explosion.
Garda Fahy that when Murphy became aware of the seriousness of the phone evidence, he became more cautious in his responses during questioning in February 1999.
Defence Counsel, Michael O'Higgins, at one stage put it to the detective that notes had been rewritten, and that Murphy had made no admissions while in custody. The detective disagreed.
Meanwhile, Detective Garda Bernie Hanley told the court that Murphy told him he knew the man he loaned his phone to belonged to the Real IRA.
The witness told Peter Charleton, prosecuting, that Murphy had "no worries" about his phone being used to move explosives to the North of Ireland.
Detective Hanley was giving evidence on the 12 th day of the trail, and said that when questioned in February 1999, Murphy was asked if he had been told by the Real IRA that his phone was used "in planting the bomb in Omagh".
He said Murphy replied: "No, he didn't have to say it, he wouldn't talk about it, it was a disaster, nobody set out to kill anybody in Omagh, it was just a complete mess."
The detective said Murphy denied having any operational role in Omagh saying : "Jesus, no way that's (named dissident republican's) role."
In another interview, the witness asked the accused if he was afraid of retaliation by the Real IRA for co-operation with the gardai. Murphy replied: "Look what can I say, I could finish out at the border with a hole in my head. This is a dangerous scene, I am happy even if I get 20 years that my conscience is clear. I wasn't in Omagh."
Cross-examined by Mr. O'Higgins, the detective denied that gardai had made a clumsy and incompetent effort to concoct interviews with Murphy.
Counsel suggested to Detective Hanley that mixed batches of paper, change of handwriting and time of interview inserted into interview notes were indicative of the notes having been rewritten.
The detective said he had asked Murphy about three bombs found in the Republic but had not spoken to Murphy about bombs in Portadown, Newry and Lisburn, nor that it was put to him that his telephone was in those locations when the bombs went off.
"I did not ask him and he was not asked in my presence," the detective said.
He added that he did not have a list of particular bombs in Northern Ireland when he was interviewing Murphy.
He said he mentioned three bombs in the Republic one in a car intercepted at Dun Laoghaire ferryport, one in a portakabin in Dundalk and one intercepted after a chase near the border north of Dundalk.
He said Murphy denied any knowledge of the bombs.
The detective also went on to deny a suggestion that references in the interviews to the Omagh bombing were "attributing to Murphy the place of a guilty man".
The detective reiterated that Murphy admitted he have the telephones, and when quizzed over 11 hours and 52 minutes of interview time with Murphy, compared to only two hours and 31 minutes of taped interviews, the detective said the notes from the interviews accurately reflected what had taken place in the interviews.
The trial continues.
A DETECTIVE Garda has denied that police had rewritten interview notes in order to build the case against Omagh bomb accused Colm Murphy.
Detective Garda, John Fahy told the court Murphy had failed to explain why his mobile telephone was in Omagh on August 15, the day of the bomb.
He told the court that Murphy had tried to "put himself as far away from Omagh as possible".
Murphy is accused of consipracy to cause the explosion.
Garda Fahy that when Murphy became aware of the seriousness of the phone evidence, he became more cautious in his responses during questioning in February 1999.
Defence Counsel, Michael O'Higgins, at one stage put it to the detective that notes had been rewritten, and that Murphy had made no admissions while in custody. The detective disagreed.
Meanwhile, Detective Garda Bernie Hanley told the court that Murphy told him he knew the man he loaned his phone to belonged to the Real IRA.
The witness told Peter Charleton, prosecuting, that Murphy had "no worries" about his phone being used to move explosives to the North of Ireland.
Detective Hanley was giving evidence on the 12 th day of the trail, and said that when questioned in February 1999, Murphy was asked if he had been told by the Real IRA that his phone was used "in planting the bomb in Omagh".
He said Murphy replied: "No, he didn't have to say it, he wouldn't talk about it, it was a disaster, nobody set out to kill anybody in Omagh, it was just a complete mess."
The detective said Murphy denied having any operational role in Omagh saying : "Jesus, no way that's (named dissident republican's) role."
In another interview, the witness asked the accused if he was afraid of retaliation by the Real IRA for co-operation with the gardai. Murphy replied: "Look what can I say, I could finish out at the border with a hole in my head. This is a dangerous scene, I am happy even if I get 20 years that my conscience is clear. I wasn't in Omagh."
Cross-examined by Mr. O'Higgins, the detective denied that gardai had made a clumsy and incompetent effort to concoct interviews with Murphy.
Counsel suggested to Detective Hanley that mixed batches of paper, change of handwriting and time of interview inserted into interview notes were indicative of the notes having been rewritten.
The detective said he had asked Murphy about three bombs found in the Republic but had not spoken to Murphy about bombs in Portadown, Newry and Lisburn, nor that it was put to him that his telephone was in those locations when the bombs went off.
"I did not ask him and he was not asked in my presence," the detective said.
He added that he did not have a list of particular bombs in Northern Ireland when he was interviewing Murphy.
He said he mentioned three bombs in the Republic one in a car intercepted at Dun Laoghaire ferryport, one in a portakabin in Dundalk and one intercepted after a chase near the border north of Dundalk.
He said Murphy denied any knowledge of the bombs.
The detective also went on to deny a suggestion that references in the interviews to the Omagh bombing were "attributing to Murphy the place of a guilty man".
The detective reiterated that Murphy admitted he have the telephones, and when quizzed over 11 hours and 52 minutes of interview time with Murphy, compared to only two hours and 31 minutes of taped interviews, the detective said the notes from the interviews accurately reflected what had taken place in the interviews.
The trial continues.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0943
Published Date: 08-Nov-01
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