OMAGH TRIAL HEARS OF ALLEGED EVIDENCE BLUNDERS
Omagh trial hears of alleged evidence blunders
A SERIES of allegations about blunders in the handling of evidence have been made during the trial of the man accused of murdering 29 people in the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Sean Gerard Hoey (37), of Molly Road, Jonesborough, south Armagh, faces a total of 58 terrorist charges, including the Omagh murders, six other murder conspiracies, five bombings, four bomb conspiracies and the possession of explosives.
Prosecuting counsel, Mr Gordon Kerr QC, has said that the prosecution will attempt to link Hoey to a series of attacks and attempted attacks, including Omagh, using forensics, DNA evidence and bomb-making patterns.
However the trial, sitting at Belfast Crown Court in front of Diplock judge, Mr Justice Weir, this week heard an apology from a senior police officer who admitted he had ordered the destruction of evidence taken from the scene of an attempted mortar bomb attack on Grosvenor Road police station in May 1998; and also that dates on evidence from an attempted car bomb attack in Armagh that same month had been changed.
Hoey does not face charges in relation to the Grosvenor Road attack, but the prosecution is attempting to demonstrate a pattern between that and other attacks that year, including Omagh.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer, Mr Ciaran Vaughan, Detective Inspector Esmond Adair told the court that he had ordered the destruction of evidence because of problems with storage at the station, and also because "there was no such thing as Low Copy Number DNA extraction" at that time.
He said that he had given the order after being told by the forensic science agency that there were no "identifiable suspects" from their examination of the exhibits, adding that "if I had thought that a suspect could have been identified there is no way I would've ordered the destruction".
Apologising for his actions, Mr Adair also told the court that, given advances in science since 1998: "I don't think I would order any exhibits to be destroyed now."
Meanwhile, in relation to a separate attack on Armagh police station in May 1998, of which Hoey does stand accused, it has emerged that dates on the label attached to evidence seized at the scene were altered.
Lawyers for Hoey also claimed that the detonator bag was discovered in an ammunition box more than five years later.
Even though the package referred to a planned car bomb strike on Armagh police station, Scenes of Crime Officer, James Johnston, told the court he could not confirm that the wire and tape in it were from that same incident.
Under cross-examination, he said the original date he had written on the brown bag which had contained the detonator from the attack had been changed, and told defence QC, Orlando Pownall, he had no idea who would have tampered with the label.
Mr Pownall told him: "In due course this court is going to hear that that brown bag was with a number of detonators in an ammunition box found in 2003, over five years after you had found and exhibited (it).
"Looking at the scraps in front of you, you can't say that bit of wire and bit of tape was definitely the bit of wire and tape, part of the detonator you seized on May 17, 1998."
Mr Johnston replied: "I can't say that."
The trial continues.
A SERIES of allegations about blunders in the handling of evidence have been made during the trial of the man accused of murdering 29 people in the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Sean Gerard Hoey (37), of Molly Road, Jonesborough, south Armagh, faces a total of 58 terrorist charges, including the Omagh murders, six other murder conspiracies, five bombings, four bomb conspiracies and the possession of explosives.
Prosecuting counsel, Mr Gordon Kerr QC, has said that the prosecution will attempt to link Hoey to a series of attacks and attempted attacks, including Omagh, using forensics, DNA evidence and bomb-making patterns.
However the trial, sitting at Belfast Crown Court in front of Diplock judge, Mr Justice Weir, this week heard an apology from a senior police officer who admitted he had ordered the destruction of evidence taken from the scene of an attempted mortar bomb attack on Grosvenor Road police station in May 1998; and also that dates on evidence from an attempted car bomb attack in Armagh that same month had been changed.
Hoey does not face charges in relation to the Grosvenor Road attack, but the prosecution is attempting to demonstrate a pattern between that and other attacks that year, including Omagh.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer, Mr Ciaran Vaughan, Detective Inspector Esmond Adair told the court that he had ordered the destruction of evidence because of problems with storage at the station, and also because "there was no such thing as Low Copy Number DNA extraction" at that time.
He said that he had given the order after being told by the forensic science agency that there were no "identifiable suspects" from their examination of the exhibits, adding that "if I had thought that a suspect could have been identified there is no way I would've ordered the destruction".
Apologising for his actions, Mr Adair also told the court that, given advances in science since 1998: "I don't think I would order any exhibits to be destroyed now."
Meanwhile, in relation to a separate attack on Armagh police station in May 1998, of which Hoey does stand accused, it has emerged that dates on the label attached to evidence seized at the scene were altered.
Lawyers for Hoey also claimed that the detonator bag was discovered in an ammunition box more than five years later.
Even though the package referred to a planned car bomb strike on Armagh police station, Scenes of Crime Officer, James Johnston, told the court he could not confirm that the wire and tape in it were from that same incident.
Under cross-examination, he said the original date he had written on the brown bag which had contained the detonator from the attack had been changed, and told defence QC, Orlando Pownall, he had no idea who would have tampered with the label.
Mr Pownall told him: "In due course this court is going to hear that that brown bag was with a number of detonators in an ammunition box found in 2003, over five years after you had found and exhibited (it).
"Looking at the scraps in front of you, you can't say that bit of wire and bit of tape was definitely the bit of wire and tape, part of the detonator you seized on May 17, 1998."
Mr Johnston replied: "I can't say that."
The trial continues.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1851
Published Date: 05-Oct-06
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