UH/1623

Suspect drops £15,000 claim after Omagh families object

A SUSPECT questioned by police during the Omagh bomb investigation has now dropped his £15,000 claim for damages.
The man, Declan McComish (36) from South Armagh, claimed he was traumatised by police questioning in the months after the blast.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian was among the 31 murdered in the 1998 Real IRA bomb attack, said he was relieved that Mr McComish would receive no payout.
He said the man had been exposed for a shameful attempt to receive compensation and he was delighted that nobody was to profit from the Omagh bomb in this way.
It is understood Mr McComish had decided not to pursue the case because of the families' uproar.
Mr McComish was among many republicans interviewed by detectives investigating the August 1988 bombing.
At one stage during the enquiry agonising photographs of the carnage were allegedly produced and shown to him.
The PSNI confirmed that the claim for damages had been withdrawn.
Mr McComish alleged he was offered no counselling by the PSNI for any trauma brought by exposure of the shocking images.
Parents who received just £7,000 compensation for children killed in the bomb were aggrieved to learn Mr McComish was seeking double that amount. The outraged families alerted the Northern Ireland security minister, Jane Kennedy and urged her to resist.
But with senior government officials and police chiefs prepared to fight the republican's civil action, he has decided to back down.
Mr McComish has not been charged in connection with Omagh, but was questioned by detectives months after the bombing.
He is a former Provisional IRA man jailed for his part in a robbery that ended in the murder of postman Frank Kerr in November 1994.
Mr Kerr was shot in the head at Royal Mail sorting offices in Newry, during a struggle with raiders who stole over £100,000. His killing came just three months after the IRA declared their first ceasefire.
Mr McComish was acquitted of murder but sentenced to five-and-a-half years for assisting the gunmen.
He later turned against the Sinn Fein leadership of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, and aligned himself with hardline dissidents in south Armagh, according to Republican sources.
As relatives expressed relief that he would not be suing, trauma experts warned against anyone taking legal actions that could jeopardise genuine cases.
Michael Duffy, a senior therapist and team leader at the Omagh-based Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation said the caseload was still very high.
Victims suffering from delayed onset post traumatic stress disorder were still coming forward five years after the Omagh bombing, he said.
He added he would not want any traumas played out in court that could in any way undermine legitimate rights of people who have suffered from severe psychological problems.