THREE GENERATIONS OF THE ONE FAMILY KILLED IN AN INSTANT
Three generations of the one family killed in an instant
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
THE family who lost a grandmother, a mother, a child and unborn twins in the Omagh bomb, this week pleaded that it never be allowed to happen again.
Mary Grimes, who was celebrating her 66th birthday, her 30 year old daughter Avril who was pregnant with twins, her 18 month old grand-daughter Maura, all took the full force of the blast.
The Inquest into their deaths yesterday heard that the twins could have survived had there been an immediate operation to remove them from Avril's womb. It was shrapnel damage to her uterus which led to their death.
The solicitor for the Monaghan family, Barry Fox is to make submissions tomorrow concerning the status of the Mrs Monaghan's unborn twins. The family is seeking to have them declared 'full parties' to the Omagh Inquest which would raise the official total of fatalities from 29 to 31. The solicitor is expected to quote human rights legislation concerning the unborn in his argument.
The Coroner, John Leckey has been conducting the Inquests over the past two weeks. After hearing the evidence in the Monaghan and Grimes families he expressed anger at the bombers. "I cannot think, looking back over 30 years of troubles and atrocities, of another family who have suffered the sort of loss that this family has suffered".
"The grandmother, her daughter, the grand-daughter and two healthy unborn twins, 34 weeks in gestation, all murdered in an instant by this atrocity".
He said he hoped that the support within a close knit and religious family would help them "return to a semblance of normality. I wish to express my complete outrage that this has happened to them" he added.
The Inquest heard that three generations of women were killed when they took the full brunt of the explosion.
They had been shopping in Kells and as they approached the exit door, the explosion occurred. Avril's body was found in the shop window. Underneath lay her little girl and within her her two unborn twin girls who were also dead. It was much later before Mary Grimes was identified.
A shop assistant in Kells, Sharon Jean Robinson said she was at work in the shop when she heard word that there was a bomb scare and that all the people had gathered in the vicinity of the shop.
She told the Inquest she then served whom she later learned were Avril Monaghan and Mary Grimes who were accompanied by little Maura a little girl with black curly hair and a white dress with navy bib and flower on it.
They then went to leave the shop with Avril carrying Maura over her shoulder. The bomb then exploded and Ms Robinson said,when she,got to her feet she saw there were nine people in the shop who were all dead and they included the grandmother, mother and child.
Timothy Grimes told the Inquest that he had to identify the body of his sister Avril and her daughter Maura in the temporary morgue on Sunday.
Professor Jack Crane, State Pathologist for Northern Ireland, said that the severity of Mrs Grimes injuries precluded visual identification. Instead her fingerprints were matched with a palm print taken from a vase at her home. He had no doubt that she would have died immediately
Professor Crane said he carried out a post mortem on Avril Monaghan and found that she died from multiple injuries caused by the bomb. He said the uterus had been lacerated causing the death of the two unborn twins. He added that the deaths would have been rapid.
Dr Crane said the twins were not physically injured in the explosion.
Dr Derek Carson said Maura Monaghan died as a result of injuries to the brain. She too would have died immediately.
After the hearing a solicitor for the Grimes family, Edwin Colton read a statement which carried a heartrending appeal for the bombers never to inflict such pain on anyone ever again.
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
THE family who lost a grandmother, a mother, a child and unborn twins in the Omagh bomb, this week pleaded that it never be allowed to happen again.
Mary Grimes, who was celebrating her 66th birthday, her 30 year old daughter Avril who was pregnant with twins, her 18 month old grand-daughter Maura, all took the full force of the blast.
The Inquest into their deaths yesterday heard that the twins could have survived had there been an immediate operation to remove them from Avril's womb. It was shrapnel damage to her uterus which led to their death.
The solicitor for the Monaghan family, Barry Fox is to make submissions tomorrow concerning the status of the Mrs Monaghan's unborn twins. The family is seeking to have them declared 'full parties' to the Omagh Inquest which would raise the official total of fatalities from 29 to 31. The solicitor is expected to quote human rights legislation concerning the unborn in his argument.
The Coroner, John Leckey has been conducting the Inquests over the past two weeks. After hearing the evidence in the Monaghan and Grimes families he expressed anger at the bombers. "I cannot think, looking back over 30 years of troubles and atrocities, of another family who have suffered the sort of loss that this family has suffered".
"The grandmother, her daughter, the grand-daughter and two healthy unborn twins, 34 weeks in gestation, all murdered in an instant by this atrocity".
He said he hoped that the support within a close knit and religious family would help them "return to a semblance of normality. I wish to express my complete outrage that this has happened to them" he added.
The Inquest heard that three generations of women were killed when they took the full brunt of the explosion.
They had been shopping in Kells and as they approached the exit door, the explosion occurred. Avril's body was found in the shop window. Underneath lay her little girl and within her her two unborn twin girls who were also dead. It was much later before Mary Grimes was identified.
A shop assistant in Kells, Sharon Jean Robinson said she was at work in the shop when she heard word that there was a bomb scare and that all the people had gathered in the vicinity of the shop.
She told the Inquest she then served whom she later learned were Avril Monaghan and Mary Grimes who were accompanied by little Maura a little girl with black curly hair and a white dress with navy bib and flower on it.
They then went to leave the shop with Avril carrying Maura over her shoulder. The bomb then exploded and Ms Robinson said,when she,got to her feet she saw there were nine people in the shop who were all dead and they included the grandmother, mother and child.
Timothy Grimes told the Inquest that he had to identify the body of his sister Avril and her daughter Maura in the temporary morgue on Sunday.
Professor Jack Crane, State Pathologist for Northern Ireland, said that the severity of Mrs Grimes injuries precluded visual identification. Instead her fingerprints were matched with a palm print taken from a vase at her home. He had no doubt that she would have died immediately
Professor Crane said he carried out a post mortem on Avril Monaghan and found that she died from multiple injuries caused by the bomb. He said the uterus had been lacerated causing the death of the two unborn twins. He added that the deaths would have been rapid.
Dr Crane said the twins were not physically injured in the explosion.
Dr Derek Carson said Maura Monaghan died as a result of injuries to the brain. She too would have died immediately.
After the hearing a solicitor for the Grimes family, Edwin Colton read a statement which carried a heartrending appeal for the bombers never to inflict such pain on anyone ever again.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1456
Published Date: 21-Sep-00
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.