WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHERS
What about all others?
By JILLY BEATTIS and ALLISON BRAY
THE sense of relief felt across Ireland yesterday was palpable as Colm Murphy was convicted for his part in the Omagh bombing.
Last night relatives of the dead and injured said it marked the first step on the road to justice.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan, 21, was among the 31 people murdered in the Real IRA bomb, said: "We're satisfied the right thing was done today. This conviction will now take us on the road to justice.
"Now the work must go on to bring in the rest of the people involved in the bombing. Only on that day will true justice be served.
"But we are thankful, if a little shocked, that the conviction will now mark the start of a long and horrendous journey for us to find a little peace."
As Murphy was led from court, the Omagh families admitted they thought he would walk free.
Mr Gallagher said: "We never thought we'd see this day. To be honest. I think every one of us thought he was going to walk out of the Special Criminal Court a free man.
"Thankfully the right thing was done, but I have no sense of joy because nothing is going to bring Aidan or anyone else back.
"But we must remain positive. The conviction sends a very strong message that the people who did this will be caught, their time will come and they will have to face us.
"I feel nothing for Murphy today, just numb and a bit shocked.
"My stomach flipped over as I heard about the conviction as I was standing in the main street in Omagh, a few yards from where Aidan was killed.
"Murphy played a part in what happened in Omagh and refused to share that with the authorities. So hopefully he will receive an appropriate sentence.
"I don't see this as revenge, just the proper conviction of a man who was involved in an atrocity that rocked me, my family, my community and a generation in Ireland.
"But we cannot get carried away - we must remember that after more than three years no one has been charged with murder at Omagh.
"But today I, like the 600 or so families affected by the Omagh bomb, can take a little comfort in the fact that the people involved in it now know they cannot get away with what they have done. They cannot simply drive into a town and murder 31 people including two unborn babies and walk away without some payback.
"It is now important that the government act the same way as the American government are doing with al-Qaeda terrorists. There needs to be strict sentencing of these people."
Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Ann in the blast, said: "At first sight I knew he was guilty as hell.
"He knew that many of the relatives of the dead were in court. He could feel our anger, and I could tell simply by the way he was sitting how guilty he felt.
"I was close to him in court and he made my blood boil.
"Words do not exist that describe the way I feel about him. Hate is too soft a word."
Laurence Rush, whose wife Libbi, 57, died in the blast, said he was confident all the bombers would be caught.
The 72-year-old said: "I'm just delighted with this verdict.
"I thank the Garda and the judges for reaching this verdict and for their fairness and candidness. We have waited a long time for this.
"We have to continue to press for the prosecution of everyone else who was involved in the atrocity.
"And with every breath in my body I will continue to fight this injustice done to my family and to my people."
By JILLY BEATTIS and ALLISON BRAY
THE sense of relief felt across Ireland yesterday was palpable as Colm Murphy was convicted for his part in the Omagh bombing.
Last night relatives of the dead and injured said it marked the first step on the road to justice.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan, 21, was among the 31 people murdered in the Real IRA bomb, said: "We're satisfied the right thing was done today. This conviction will now take us on the road to justice.
"Now the work must go on to bring in the rest of the people involved in the bombing. Only on that day will true justice be served.
"But we are thankful, if a little shocked, that the conviction will now mark the start of a long and horrendous journey for us to find a little peace."
As Murphy was led from court, the Omagh families admitted they thought he would walk free.
Mr Gallagher said: "We never thought we'd see this day. To be honest. I think every one of us thought he was going to walk out of the Special Criminal Court a free man.
"Thankfully the right thing was done, but I have no sense of joy because nothing is going to bring Aidan or anyone else back.
"But we must remain positive. The conviction sends a very strong message that the people who did this will be caught, their time will come and they will have to face us.
"I feel nothing for Murphy today, just numb and a bit shocked.
"My stomach flipped over as I heard about the conviction as I was standing in the main street in Omagh, a few yards from where Aidan was killed.
"Murphy played a part in what happened in Omagh and refused to share that with the authorities. So hopefully he will receive an appropriate sentence.
"I don't see this as revenge, just the proper conviction of a man who was involved in an atrocity that rocked me, my family, my community and a generation in Ireland.
"But we cannot get carried away - we must remember that after more than three years no one has been charged with murder at Omagh.
"But today I, like the 600 or so families affected by the Omagh bomb, can take a little comfort in the fact that the people involved in it now know they cannot get away with what they have done. They cannot simply drive into a town and murder 31 people including two unborn babies and walk away without some payback.
"It is now important that the government act the same way as the American government are doing with al-Qaeda terrorists. There needs to be strict sentencing of these people."
Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Ann in the blast, said: "At first sight I knew he was guilty as hell.
"He knew that many of the relatives of the dead were in court. He could feel our anger, and I could tell simply by the way he was sitting how guilty he felt.
"I was close to him in court and he made my blood boil.
"Words do not exist that describe the way I feel about him. Hate is too soft a word."
Laurence Rush, whose wife Libbi, 57, died in the blast, said he was confident all the bombers would be caught.
The 72-year-old said: "I'm just delighted with this verdict.
"I thank the Garda and the judges for reaching this verdict and for their fairness and candidness. We have waited a long time for this.
"We have to continue to press for the prosecution of everyone else who was involved in the atrocity.
"And with every breath in my body I will continue to fight this injustice done to my family and to my people."
Further Information
Publisher: THE MIRROR
Ref: TM/150
Published Date: 23-Jan-02
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.