OMAGH BOMB VERDICT TODAY
Omagh bomb verdict today
BY RONAN McSHERRY
r.mcsherry@ulsterherald.com
THE Crown Court in Belfast will deliver its long-awaited verdict today (Thursday) in the trial Sean Hoey who is charged with the Real IRA bomb attack on Omagh which claimed 31 lives, including two unborn babies, on August 15, 1998 . Hoey is the only person to be charged with the killings in the worst atrocity of the Troubles.
Some relatives of victims killed in the atrocity are expected to be in the Belfast court today to hear the verdict.
The 37-year-old electrician from Jonesborough, Co. Armagh went on trial in September last year, charged with a total of 56 terrorist offences which included conspiracy to murder, bombings and possession of explosives.
Hoey is the longest-serving remand prisoner in the North's penal history, having spent four years in jail awaiting trial. His trial at Belfast Crown Court before Mr Justice Weir lasted for 56 days and ended last January.
On the imminent announcement of the verdict, the chairman of Omagh Victim's Support Group Michael Gallagher said, "It's unfortunate it's coming so close to Christmas, and I just hope there will be some degree of justice for the families."
Mr Gallagher's 21-year-old son Aiden was killed in the bombing.
During Hoey's trial, a video link was set up to relay proceedings in the court to Omagh College. This gave the families and those affected by the bomb the opportunity to follow the trial from close to home rather than making the 150-miles daily round journey.
The prosecution case against Hoey hinged on DNA evidence. That has been robustly challenged by his defence team who claim it is unreliable.
The non-jury trial heard from dozens of witnesses and saw nearly 500 exhibits. The prosecution was unable to provide forensic evidence that Hoey had made the Omagh bomb but it said that similarities between that device and other Real IRA bombs, allegedly containing his DNA, proved that he must have been the bomb-maker.
Much of the four-month trial was taken up with legal arguments over the credibility of a controversial DNA test, which the prosecution claimed identified Hoey as having made and wired the bombs. The credibility of the Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA tests went to the very heart of the case. In November last year, the Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales ordered the retesting of more than 2,000 cases involving LCN DNA after serious concerns were raised over inaccurate test results.
The defence team, led by Orlando Pownell QC, also highlighted other concerns they had regarding a failure to protect evidence while it was stored at a forensic science premises. As well a British Army bomb disposal expert told the court that one piece of evidence may have been 'forensically altered' while another forensic scientist admitted that labels from one bombing scene appeared to have been altered. The court was also told that other evidence relating to the case had gone missing for five years.
However, the most serious threat to the prosecution case came when two police officers admitted that some of their superiors had encouraged them to "beef up" witness statements.
This led to a number of Omagh victims' families expressing concerns over the case.
Earlier this year Kevin Skelton, whose wife Philomena also died in the blast, described the trial of Hoey as a "farce".
"I watched the first two weeks of it through a video link in Omagh and I had to stop," he said. "It was a shambles. It never should have gone to court and I wouldn't convict him (Sean Hoey) on the evidence that was presented."
BY RONAN McSHERRY
r.mcsherry@ulsterherald.com
THE Crown Court in Belfast will deliver its long-awaited verdict today (Thursday) in the trial Sean Hoey who is charged with the Real IRA bomb attack on Omagh which claimed 31 lives, including two unborn babies, on August 15, 1998 . Hoey is the only person to be charged with the killings in the worst atrocity of the Troubles.
Some relatives of victims killed in the atrocity are expected to be in the Belfast court today to hear the verdict.
The 37-year-old electrician from Jonesborough, Co. Armagh went on trial in September last year, charged with a total of 56 terrorist offences which included conspiracy to murder, bombings and possession of explosives.
Hoey is the longest-serving remand prisoner in the North's penal history, having spent four years in jail awaiting trial. His trial at Belfast Crown Court before Mr Justice Weir lasted for 56 days and ended last January.
On the imminent announcement of the verdict, the chairman of Omagh Victim's Support Group Michael Gallagher said, "It's unfortunate it's coming so close to Christmas, and I just hope there will be some degree of justice for the families."
Mr Gallagher's 21-year-old son Aiden was killed in the bombing.
During Hoey's trial, a video link was set up to relay proceedings in the court to Omagh College. This gave the families and those affected by the bomb the opportunity to follow the trial from close to home rather than making the 150-miles daily round journey.
The prosecution case against Hoey hinged on DNA evidence. That has been robustly challenged by his defence team who claim it is unreliable.
The non-jury trial heard from dozens of witnesses and saw nearly 500 exhibits. The prosecution was unable to provide forensic evidence that Hoey had made the Omagh bomb but it said that similarities between that device and other Real IRA bombs, allegedly containing his DNA, proved that he must have been the bomb-maker.
Much of the four-month trial was taken up with legal arguments over the credibility of a controversial DNA test, which the prosecution claimed identified Hoey as having made and wired the bombs. The credibility of the Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA tests went to the very heart of the case. In November last year, the Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales ordered the retesting of more than 2,000 cases involving LCN DNA after serious concerns were raised over inaccurate test results.
The defence team, led by Orlando Pownell QC, also highlighted other concerns they had regarding a failure to protect evidence while it was stored at a forensic science premises. As well a British Army bomb disposal expert told the court that one piece of evidence may have been 'forensically altered' while another forensic scientist admitted that labels from one bombing scene appeared to have been altered. The court was also told that other evidence relating to the case had gone missing for five years.
However, the most serious threat to the prosecution case came when two police officers admitted that some of their superiors had encouraged them to "beef up" witness statements.
This led to a number of Omagh victims' families expressing concerns over the case.
Earlier this year Kevin Skelton, whose wife Philomena also died in the blast, described the trial of Hoey as a "farce".
"I watched the first two weeks of it through a video link in Omagh and I had to stop," he said. "It was a shambles. It never should have gone to court and I wouldn't convict him (Sean Hoey) on the evidence that was presented."
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1914
Published Date: 20-Dec-07
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