UH/1728

Rosemary Ingram vows to fight for fair play for victims
BY TERRY PATTERSON

NIO appeals court ruling for compensation
THE record compensation payout of £253,843 made to Omagh bomb victim, Rosemary Ingram, earlier this month is on hold following the decision of the Northern Ireland Office [NIO] to appeal the amount of the award.
Mrs Ingram, a popular traffic warden in the town, had refused an original offer of £80,000 from the Compensation Agency, and when her appeal was heard by Omagh County Court she was awarded the sum now in dispute.
She has branded the decision by the NIO to appeal the amount of her award as 'inhumane', and said the British government's treatment of victims was 'disgusting'.
"It is time someone spoke up, because these people have no idea what it is like to be a victim," Mrs Ingram went on. "As one myself I feel that the British government does not recognise us. If these people spent one day in my body they would know how it feels. They don't know the damage they are doing to people.
"They have put me through so much already, but I will fight this for as long as I have to. It's a real fight at the moment, and only for the support of my family I would not be able to cope. My fifth Christmas with this thing hanging over my head is coming up, and I just feel ruined by it all.
"It's been very tough going through the courts, but I hope my stance will motivate others to take the same route and not allow themselves to be bullied by the Compensation Agency into accepting what they offer. The agency can be beaten, but it's clear they can't accept it when it happens."
Announcing his County Court decision on November 6, Judge Kevin Finnegan, said: "This courageous lady has had her life destroyed by the Omagh bombing. The physical injuries she sustained were immense, but they pale into insignificance compared to the post traumatic stress and panic attacks she has suffered since. It might well be that she may never enjoy another happy day in her life."
On August 15, 1998, moments before the bomb exploded at Market Street, Mrs Ingram had been on duty about 20 metres away. She was seriously injured in the Real IRA attack and the compensation awarded was in respect of the physical and mental injuries she sustained. Mrs Ingram is still in recovery and, although she had returned to work, she had subsequently been forced to take early retirement. At the weekend it was reported that the Compensation Agency had lodged an appeal 'on the basis that the award made by the court exceeded the estimated value placed by the agency on the injuries sustained by Mrs Ingram'. However, it has been suggested by a source close to the Northern Ireland Office that the appeal to the High Court was submitted for purely budgetary reasons.
Michael Gallagher, chairman of Omagh Victims Support Group, has urged the Northern Ireland Office to withdraw the appeal, and said the treatment of Mrs Ingram, who had had had to strip to permit various legal teams inspect her injuries, and who had then had to provide the court with intimate details of her personal life, was 'ruthless'.
Mrs Ingram said: "I went to court and won my case. It was a horrific experience. Now I'm facing it again."