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£800,000 FOR JUSTICE
By BOB ROBERTS Political Correspondent

Taxpayers' cash for Omagh families to sue
RELATIVES of the Omagh bomb victims got a massive boost yesterday in their campaign to bring the bombers to justice.
Secretary of State Paul Murphy announced they were to be given £800,000 of taxpayers' money, allowing them to mount a civil case against the men they believe carried out the Real IRA atrocity.
There were fears that the case would collapse because of lack of cash.
Relatives have been trying to raise £1.5million to fund it. Stanley McCombe, whose wife Anne was killed, said this week they were £800,000 short.
Days before the fifth anniversary of the bombing, which killed 29 and unborn twins, Mr Murphy said: "I have always believed this is an exceptional case.
"The vast majority of people in Northern Ireland and beyond want to see the families bring it to court."
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan, 21, was killed, said: "It will go a long way towards giving us justice. We've had an uphill struggle."
He said it was now time for the Irish government to make a similar gesture.
The Omagh Civil Action Group said: "We are very much heartened by the fact that the Government sees the need to help us. Having come this far we cannot allow the bombers to get away."
The announcement came 24 hours after Real IRA boss Michael McKevitt began a 20-year sentence in Portlaoise prison for directing terrorism. He is one of five men believed to have been behind the blast in August 1998 which devastated Omagh town centre.
The others are Colm Murphy, Liana Campbell, Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna. In 2002 Murphy became the only person to be convicted of plotting the bombing and was jailed for 14 years. The families are seeking £10million in damages from the men accused of plotting the attack.
Mr Murphy, referring to McKevitt and Campbell, also said he had asked the Law Society of Northern Ireland to review its decision to grant legal aid to the defendants in the case.
He said: "I understand the sense of public outrage. The public will not easily understand why apparently rich men who are convicted terrorists should have their legal fees subsidised by the taxpayer."
Former Secretary of State Peter Mandelson, who has campaigned for the families, said: "It would have been morally indefensible to have extended funding to the defendants but not given a penny to the families' legal fund."