BOMB INQUEST LAYS OPEN OLD WOUNDS
Bomb Inquests lays open old wounds
The Inquests into the deaths of the 31 people killed in the Omagh bomb began this week and no-one would want to be in the shoes of the families who will have to attend the hearing.
Our thoughts and prayers will be with them during the next four weeks as they hear details of how their child, brother, mother, father, aunt or uncle died.
According to Coroner, John Leckey, an Inquest is to establish the cause of death and no more.
Given the obvious nature of the death of the people in the Omagh bomb, one has to question the wisdom of holding Inquests at all - or at least one with such detail.
Many of the families do not want to attend as they feel the details will open wounds which they have been trying to cope with for the past two years.
Some of the stronger ones will use the Inquests to shine the spotlight on the failure of the police and gardai to find and bring the bombers to justice.
And they cannot be criticised for using the world's press who are in town for the Inquests to spell out the glaring fact that despite the largest number of investigating officers and unprecedented cross-border cooperation between gardai and police, they still have not managed to bring the bombers to court.
This speaks volumes about our legal system and the sincerity of the two governments who promised to 'move mountains' to bring the bombers to trial.
The Inquests into the deaths of the 31 people killed in the Omagh bomb began this week and no-one would want to be in the shoes of the families who will have to attend the hearing.
Our thoughts and prayers will be with them during the next four weeks as they hear details of how their child, brother, mother, father, aunt or uncle died.
According to Coroner, John Leckey, an Inquest is to establish the cause of death and no more.
Given the obvious nature of the death of the people in the Omagh bomb, one has to question the wisdom of holding Inquests at all - or at least one with such detail.
Many of the families do not want to attend as they feel the details will open wounds which they have been trying to cope with for the past two years.
Some of the stronger ones will use the Inquests to shine the spotlight on the failure of the police and gardai to find and bring the bombers to justice.
And they cannot be criticised for using the world's press who are in town for the Inquests to spell out the glaring fact that despite the largest number of investigating officers and unprecedented cross-border cooperation between gardai and police, they still have not managed to bring the bombers to court.
This speaks volumes about our legal system and the sincerity of the two governments who promised to 'move mountains' to bring the bombers to trial.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1439
Published Date: 07-Sep-00
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