BOMBER FACES LIFE
Bomber faces life
COLM Murphy, above, the Dundalk man convicted this week of his part in the bombing of Omagh, faces the prospect of spending the rest of his natural life in prison. At tomorrow's sentencing in the Special Criminal Court, Dublin, Murphy, 49, is likely to receive life imprisonment with a specified period of incarceration of up to 25 years.
For the Armagh-born publican and builder, that is the maximum possible sentence for his part in the horrific crime which cost 31 lives, including two unborn children, and caused hundreds of serious injuries to innocent civilians on August 15,1998.
The Dublin court, in which three judges presided with no jury, found Murphy guilty of the charges of conspiracy to cause the explosion. His part in the atrocity involved lending his mobile telephone, and that of an employee, to a man from Cullaville, Co. Monaghan, who was named in court as Seamus Daly.
The telephones were traced from transmitter mast signals as they were used by the bombers on the journey from the Dundalk area to Omagh and back.
A call from Murphy's mobile was made in Omagh an hour before the bomb exploded, just after the stolen Vauxhall Cavalier used in the bombing was parked in Market Street.
It exploded at 3.10pm, causing what Judge Barr described in his verdict as the worst atrocity of the Troubles.
Murphy's mobile phone was also used by the "Real IRA" bombers during the bombing of the centre of Banbridge, Co. Down, two weeks before the Omagh bombing. More than 30 people were injured in that attack.
Meanwhile, two Garda officers who were dismissed as "unreliable witnesses" when they lied repeatedly and "outrageously" during the trial about alleged confessions made by Murphy, now face possible charges of perjury in the investigation ordered by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne. As Taoiseach Bertie Ahern renewed his pledge to pursue the bombers with vigour, Assistant Garda Commissioner Kevin Carthy said the case is "very much active and alive".
COLM Murphy, above, the Dundalk man convicted this week of his part in the bombing of Omagh, faces the prospect of spending the rest of his natural life in prison. At tomorrow's sentencing in the Special Criminal Court, Dublin, Murphy, 49, is likely to receive life imprisonment with a specified period of incarceration of up to 25 years.
For the Armagh-born publican and builder, that is the maximum possible sentence for his part in the horrific crime which cost 31 lives, including two unborn children, and caused hundreds of serious injuries to innocent civilians on August 15,1998.
The Dublin court, in which three judges presided with no jury, found Murphy guilty of the charges of conspiracy to cause the explosion. His part in the atrocity involved lending his mobile telephone, and that of an employee, to a man from Cullaville, Co. Monaghan, who was named in court as Seamus Daly.
The telephones were traced from transmitter mast signals as they were used by the bombers on the journey from the Dundalk area to Omagh and back.
A call from Murphy's mobile was made in Omagh an hour before the bomb exploded, just after the stolen Vauxhall Cavalier used in the bombing was parked in Market Street.
It exploded at 3.10pm, causing what Judge Barr described in his verdict as the worst atrocity of the Troubles.
Murphy's mobile phone was also used by the "Real IRA" bombers during the bombing of the centre of Banbridge, Co. Down, two weeks before the Omagh bombing. More than 30 people were injured in that attack.
Meanwhile, two Garda officers who were dismissed as "unreliable witnesses" when they lied repeatedly and "outrageously" during the trial about alleged confessions made by Murphy, now face possible charges of perjury in the investigation ordered by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne. As Taoiseach Bertie Ahern renewed his pledge to pursue the bombers with vigour, Assistant Garda Commissioner Kevin Carthy said the case is "very much active and alive".
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0924
Published Date: 24-Jan-02
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