SUSPECT DROPS TRAUMA CLAIM AFTER OMAGH FAMILIES OUTRAGE
Suspect drops trauma claim after Omagh families outrage
By Ruth McKee
A FORMER republican prisoner, who claimed he was traumatised after questioning by police in connection with the 1998 Omagh bomb, has dropped a �15,000 compensation bid.
Declan McComish (36), from South Armagh stopped the legal action he was taking against the PSNI, after outraged relatives of the victims protested to the British government.
They feared the authorities were on the verge of paying out, and it is understood that Mr. McComish had decided not to pursue the case because of the uproar.
Michael Gallagher, whose son, Aiden, was among the 29 dead in the Real IRA bomb attack, said he was delighted that the case was not going forward.
"It would be an appalling thought that people would make profit on the bomb. I would call on the government to tell the truth about how many of these cases of a similar nature they have settled in the past 30 years.
"Had it not been for the families challenging the security Minister on the fifth anniversary in Omagh this case may well have been settled," he said.
McComish has not been charged in connection with Omagh, but was questioned by detectives months after the bombing.
Photographs of the carnage were allegedly shown to him and he claimed police did not offer him counselling for any trauma brought on by exposure to the shocking images.
The parents, who had received �7,000 compensation for the children killed in the blast, were outraged to learn that Mr. McComish was seeking more than double that amount. They alerted the Northern Ireland Security Minister Jane Kennedy and urged her to resist.
A PSNI spokesman said: "We can confirm that a claim for damages has been withdrawn."
A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Office told the Tyrone Constitution: "The Security Minister, Jane Kennedy, shared the families concerns about this compensation claim and raised the issue with the PSNI against whom the case was being taken. The Minister is obviously pleased with the outcome."
McComish is a former Provisional IRA man who was jailed for his part in a robbery that ended in the murder of postman Frank Kerr in November 1994. Mr. Kerr was shot in the head at Royal Mail sorting offices in Newry during a struggle with raiders who stole more than �130,000. His killing came after the Provisionals declared their first ceasefire.
He was acquitted of murder, but sentenced to five-and-a-half years for assisting the gunmen.
Senior therapist and team leader at the Omagh based Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation, Michael Duffy, said the caseload was still high and has expressed concern that the publicity surrounding such cases might create an "inaccurate impression" that those people who suffer from trauma and traumatic grief as a result of the conflict of the last 30 years do not have legitimate needs.
"That could include therapy, any practical help and indeed the right to legitimate financial compensation for suffering.
"Each week we are receiving referrals from across Northern Ireland. It is important that when people are suffering from psychological problems that no matter how long they have been enduring these difficulties for they are still able to come forward and seek help, which can still be effective years after they start to experience these problems," he said.
By Ruth McKee
A FORMER republican prisoner, who claimed he was traumatised after questioning by police in connection with the 1998 Omagh bomb, has dropped a �15,000 compensation bid.
Declan McComish (36), from South Armagh stopped the legal action he was taking against the PSNI, after outraged relatives of the victims protested to the British government.
They feared the authorities were on the verge of paying out, and it is understood that Mr. McComish had decided not to pursue the case because of the uproar.
Michael Gallagher, whose son, Aiden, was among the 29 dead in the Real IRA bomb attack, said he was delighted that the case was not going forward.
"It would be an appalling thought that people would make profit on the bomb. I would call on the government to tell the truth about how many of these cases of a similar nature they have settled in the past 30 years.
"Had it not been for the families challenging the security Minister on the fifth anniversary in Omagh this case may well have been settled," he said.
McComish has not been charged in connection with Omagh, but was questioned by detectives months after the bombing.
Photographs of the carnage were allegedly shown to him and he claimed police did not offer him counselling for any trauma brought on by exposure to the shocking images.
The parents, who had received �7,000 compensation for the children killed in the blast, were outraged to learn that Mr. McComish was seeking more than double that amount. They alerted the Northern Ireland Security Minister Jane Kennedy and urged her to resist.
A PSNI spokesman said: "We can confirm that a claim for damages has been withdrawn."
A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Office told the Tyrone Constitution: "The Security Minister, Jane Kennedy, shared the families concerns about this compensation claim and raised the issue with the PSNI against whom the case was being taken. The Minister is obviously pleased with the outcome."
McComish is a former Provisional IRA man who was jailed for his part in a robbery that ended in the murder of postman Frank Kerr in November 1994. Mr. Kerr was shot in the head at Royal Mail sorting offices in Newry during a struggle with raiders who stole more than �130,000. His killing came after the Provisionals declared their first ceasefire.
He was acquitted of murder, but sentenced to five-and-a-half years for assisting the gunmen.
Senior therapist and team leader at the Omagh based Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation, Michael Duffy, said the caseload was still high and has expressed concern that the publicity surrounding such cases might create an "inaccurate impression" that those people who suffer from trauma and traumatic grief as a result of the conflict of the last 30 years do not have legitimate needs.
"That could include therapy, any practical help and indeed the right to legitimate financial compensation for suffering.
"Each week we are receiving referrals from across Northern Ireland. It is important that when people are suffering from psychological problems that no matter how long they have been enduring these difficulties for they are still able to come forward and seek help, which can still be effective years after they start to experience these problems," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1677
Published Date: 27-Nov-03
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