ELECTRICIAN (35) IN COURT ON OMAGH BOMB CHARGES
Electrician (35) in court on Omagh bomb charges
THE man accused of 29 murders in the 1998 Omagh bombing was back in court via video-link on Tuesday. Sean Gerard Hoey, 35, from Molly Road in Jonesborough, Co Armagh, is charged with 61 offences relating to the Omagh bombing, including 29 murders.
The first person to be charged with murder in relation to the bomb, he is also charged with 23 explosives offences and seven charges of conspiring to murder members of the security forces.
The preliminary investigation is expected to start on June 20 and should last about seven weeks, the court heard.
At Tuesday's hearing Hoey spoke only once to confirm his name.
His solicitor told the court forensic witnesses would be required for cross-examination.
Resident Magistrate, Desmond Perry, said it was in everyone's interest to conclude the case as soon as possible.
He said he understood there were potentially 12 boxes of papers for him to read. He added: "Mr (Gordon) Kerr, senior counsel for the Crown, has indicated he will provide a resume of evidence which may shorten that process.
"Having regard to the volume of papers, I'm going to require some considerable time to read them."
Relatives of those who were killed and injured in the Real IRA bombing were in court.
The Tuesday hearing followed on from Thursday of last week when the south Armagh man appeared at Craigavon Magistrates Court.
Hoey had been remanded in custody to Maghaberry Prison to appear before Belfast Magistrates on Tuesday.
At the court appearance on Thursday last, the defendant, dressed in a brown jumper and jeans, showed little emotion as the charges were read put. He spoke only to confirm his name.
His solicitor, Peter Corrigan, told the court that the prosecution team had not provided any new evidence to allow the case to continue and said that delays in the case were an abuse of process.
He said the prosecution case rested solely on a single witness statement from March 2003 which stated that Hoey 'possibly constructed' the Omagh bomb.
He said: "This statement did not say it was certain or likely, or even more likely than not that he constructed the Omagh device, merely that it was possible.
"I would ask the DPP to look at this evidence again as there is no realistic possibility of a conviction."
Mr Corrigan said the only conclusion he could reach was that there were "possible political considerations" in the charging of his client.
Mr Corrigan asked the court to order the prosecution team to serve the defence with information and details of an international review commission into the Omagh bomb attack.
Magistrate Alan White refused the application and ordered Mr Hoey to appear at the Laganside courts complex in Belfast on Tuesday.
"It is obviously in the interests of justice and the interests of everybody that the matter is determined at the earliest stage," Mr White said.
But he had ruled that Belfast Magistrates Court was in a better position to rule on the issues raised by Mr Corrigan.
Relatives of the 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, who were killed in the bomb attack in August 1998, sat in court as the charges were read out.
Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was killed, welcomed the murder charge being brought, seven years after the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.
"It is a very sobering experience to hear all the names of the victims read out, including your only son, and to see the man standing in front of you who is accused of being the perpetrator," he said.
"Some of the families I did not know, but after the bomb I have come to know a lot of them and all about them. I hope there will be further prosecutions in the north and I hope that this is not the last time I stand here."
Frustrated at the lack of progress in the police investigation, relatives of the Omagh atrocity victims have mounted a separate civil action against those suspected of involvement in the attack.
THE man accused of 29 murders in the 1998 Omagh bombing was back in court via video-link on Tuesday. Sean Gerard Hoey, 35, from Molly Road in Jonesborough, Co Armagh, is charged with 61 offences relating to the Omagh bombing, including 29 murders.
The first person to be charged with murder in relation to the bomb, he is also charged with 23 explosives offences and seven charges of conspiring to murder members of the security forces.
The preliminary investigation is expected to start on June 20 and should last about seven weeks, the court heard.
At Tuesday's hearing Hoey spoke only once to confirm his name.
His solicitor told the court forensic witnesses would be required for cross-examination.
Resident Magistrate, Desmond Perry, said it was in everyone's interest to conclude the case as soon as possible.
He said he understood there were potentially 12 boxes of papers for him to read. He added: "Mr (Gordon) Kerr, senior counsel for the Crown, has indicated he will provide a resume of evidence which may shorten that process.
"Having regard to the volume of papers, I'm going to require some considerable time to read them."
Relatives of those who were killed and injured in the Real IRA bombing were in court.
The Tuesday hearing followed on from Thursday of last week when the south Armagh man appeared at Craigavon Magistrates Court.
Hoey had been remanded in custody to Maghaberry Prison to appear before Belfast Magistrates on Tuesday.
At the court appearance on Thursday last, the defendant, dressed in a brown jumper and jeans, showed little emotion as the charges were read put. He spoke only to confirm his name.
His solicitor, Peter Corrigan, told the court that the prosecution team had not provided any new evidence to allow the case to continue and said that delays in the case were an abuse of process.
He said the prosecution case rested solely on a single witness statement from March 2003 which stated that Hoey 'possibly constructed' the Omagh bomb.
He said: "This statement did not say it was certain or likely, or even more likely than not that he constructed the Omagh device, merely that it was possible.
"I would ask the DPP to look at this evidence again as there is no realistic possibility of a conviction."
Mr Corrigan said the only conclusion he could reach was that there were "possible political considerations" in the charging of his client.
Mr Corrigan asked the court to order the prosecution team to serve the defence with information and details of an international review commission into the Omagh bomb attack.
Magistrate Alan White refused the application and ordered Mr Hoey to appear at the Laganside courts complex in Belfast on Tuesday.
"It is obviously in the interests of justice and the interests of everybody that the matter is determined at the earliest stage," Mr White said.
But he had ruled that Belfast Magistrates Court was in a better position to rule on the issues raised by Mr Corrigan.
Relatives of the 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, who were killed in the bomb attack in August 1998, sat in court as the charges were read out.
Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was killed, welcomed the murder charge being brought, seven years after the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.
"It is a very sobering experience to hear all the names of the victims read out, including your only son, and to see the man standing in front of you who is accused of being the perpetrator," he said.
"Some of the families I did not know, but after the bomb I have come to know a lot of them and all about them. I hope there will be further prosecutions in the north and I hope that this is not the last time I stand here."
Frustrated at the lack of progress in the police investigation, relatives of the Omagh atrocity victims have mounted a separate civil action against those suspected of involvement in the attack.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1867
Published Date: 02-Jun-05
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