FAMILIES VOW TO GIVE FLANAGAN A FAIR HEARING
Families vow to give Flanagan a fair hearing
By Olga Bradshaw
BEREAVED relatives of those murdered in Omagh in August 1998 have vowed to give the Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, a "fair hearing" when he comes to Omagh today (Thursday) to give his response to the report from the Police Ombudsman on the handling of the bomb inquiry.
The main aim of the Chief Constable in coming to Omagh was to deliver his response on the inquiry and report headed up by the Ombudsman, Mrs. Nuala O'Loan, to the families face-to-face, and to discuss where he felt the Ombudsman's office may have gone wrong.
Recent reports have claimed that large pieces of evidence may have been withheld from the Omagh Inquiry team by Special Branch, and just this week it was reported that an incident book containing details of warnings received of terrorist threats had vanished from Omagh Police Station during the mammoth inquiry.
Commenting on the visit, Mr. Michael Gallagher, chairman of the Omagh Victims' Group, whose son, Adrian (21), died in the 3001b car bomb, commented: "We will give the Chief Constable a fair hearing, but I think it is obvious from what we have heard, that there are serious deficiencies in the investigation.
"I think these need to be resolved, and it is fair to say we are disappointed in the government's approach to dealing with terrorist activity here in contrast to the way they reacted to events of 11 September in America," he said.
Mr. Gallagher continued: "Sometimes we cannot help but feel that Omagh has not been dealt with properly because of political expediency."
Mrs, Marion Radford, whose teenage son, Alan, was one of those murdered in the blast, said that while she was happy to wait and hear what the Chief Constable had to say to her, she did feel that the problems which had so troubled Omagh came from Government.
"I would not like someone to judge me before I had an opportunity to speak, so I would just like to wait and see what Mr. Flanagan is going to say," she said.
Asked what her thoughts were in connection with the latest reports that a large percentage of material had not been passed to the Omagh Bomb Inquiry team, and that an incident book containing vital information on Omagh had gone missing from the police station, Mrs. Radford said she wanted to believe it was not true.
"I would like to think it is not true but, really, I have my doubts. There is a lot that does not add up, and it looks as though a lot has been covered up.
"I have not studied the report in great length, but what I have seen is not good," she said, adding: "Personally, I think Sir Ronnie Flanagan is a scapegoat and this has all got to do with the government. Maybe these people were told to keep quiet. It does not tally.
She continued: "I definitely think the government is just corrupt. I don't think they want to find these bombers."
Vice-chairman of the Omagh Victims Group, Mr. Stanley McCombe, whose wife, Ann, also died in the bombing, described recent weeks as "a rather depressing time".
He said the constant focus on the Omagh bomb, the subsequent inquiry and the failure to arrest and make amenable any of the bombers had led to led to him having days when he felt "really down".
Agreeing with Mrs. Radford's comments that the government had a major role to play in what had happened in Omagh, he said that "it is all government oriented".
"That's why these guys are in these positions because they are scapegoats. If the Chief Constable thinks he is coming to Omagh to whitewash us he has another thing coming.
"That story that broke on Monday about the incident book disappearing from the station, that's just another piece of the jigsaw about what's happening here," he said.
"It is so unbelievable that things like this can happen. What is happening here? Is there a cover-up? It is time for people to hold their hands up and be truthful. There is no one in the world that does not make mistakes but if there are people here who have done wrong then lets root these people out," he said.
He continued: "Why are all these mistakes happening now? How many have been made over the years that have been covered up or brushed under the carpet? It is just because we are rocking the boat that things are coming out and thank God, Maybe there are a lot of other people that it might help.
"We believe it is important to let the people know how much it hurts but at the same time we are not trying to persecute the RUC, as they were then, we are trying to bring out into the open the truth of what happened.
"If it hurts people so be it. The truth will always hurt so lets get to the truth and let them get hurt then they will know how it feels," he said.
By Olga Bradshaw
BEREAVED relatives of those murdered in Omagh in August 1998 have vowed to give the Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, a "fair hearing" when he comes to Omagh today (Thursday) to give his response to the report from the Police Ombudsman on the handling of the bomb inquiry.
The main aim of the Chief Constable in coming to Omagh was to deliver his response on the inquiry and report headed up by the Ombudsman, Mrs. Nuala O'Loan, to the families face-to-face, and to discuss where he felt the Ombudsman's office may have gone wrong.
Recent reports have claimed that large pieces of evidence may have been withheld from the Omagh Inquiry team by Special Branch, and just this week it was reported that an incident book containing details of warnings received of terrorist threats had vanished from Omagh Police Station during the mammoth inquiry.
Commenting on the visit, Mr. Michael Gallagher, chairman of the Omagh Victims' Group, whose son, Adrian (21), died in the 3001b car bomb, commented: "We will give the Chief Constable a fair hearing, but I think it is obvious from what we have heard, that there are serious deficiencies in the investigation.
"I think these need to be resolved, and it is fair to say we are disappointed in the government's approach to dealing with terrorist activity here in contrast to the way they reacted to events of 11 September in America," he said.
Mr. Gallagher continued: "Sometimes we cannot help but feel that Omagh has not been dealt with properly because of political expediency."
Mrs, Marion Radford, whose teenage son, Alan, was one of those murdered in the blast, said that while she was happy to wait and hear what the Chief Constable had to say to her, she did feel that the problems which had so troubled Omagh came from Government.
"I would not like someone to judge me before I had an opportunity to speak, so I would just like to wait and see what Mr. Flanagan is going to say," she said.
Asked what her thoughts were in connection with the latest reports that a large percentage of material had not been passed to the Omagh Bomb Inquiry team, and that an incident book containing vital information on Omagh had gone missing from the police station, Mrs. Radford said she wanted to believe it was not true.
"I would like to think it is not true but, really, I have my doubts. There is a lot that does not add up, and it looks as though a lot has been covered up.
"I have not studied the report in great length, but what I have seen is not good," she said, adding: "Personally, I think Sir Ronnie Flanagan is a scapegoat and this has all got to do with the government. Maybe these people were told to keep quiet. It does not tally.
She continued: "I definitely think the government is just corrupt. I don't think they want to find these bombers."
Vice-chairman of the Omagh Victims Group, Mr. Stanley McCombe, whose wife, Ann, also died in the bombing, described recent weeks as "a rather depressing time".
He said the constant focus on the Omagh bomb, the subsequent inquiry and the failure to arrest and make amenable any of the bombers had led to led to him having days when he felt "really down".
Agreeing with Mrs. Radford's comments that the government had a major role to play in what had happened in Omagh, he said that "it is all government oriented".
"That's why these guys are in these positions because they are scapegoats. If the Chief Constable thinks he is coming to Omagh to whitewash us he has another thing coming.
"That story that broke on Monday about the incident book disappearing from the station, that's just another piece of the jigsaw about what's happening here," he said.
"It is so unbelievable that things like this can happen. What is happening here? Is there a cover-up? It is time for people to hold their hands up and be truthful. There is no one in the world that does not make mistakes but if there are people here who have done wrong then lets root these people out," he said.
He continued: "Why are all these mistakes happening now? How many have been made over the years that have been covered up or brushed under the carpet? It is just because we are rocking the boat that things are coming out and thank God, Maybe there are a lot of other people that it might help.
"We believe it is important to let the people know how much it hurts but at the same time we are not trying to persecute the RUC, as they were then, we are trying to bring out into the open the truth of what happened.
"If it hurts people so be it. The truth will always hurt so lets get to the truth and let them get hurt then they will know how it feels," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0997
Published Date: 24-Jan-02
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