MURPHY SAID OMAGH BOMB WAS A DISASTER
Murphy said Omagh bomb was a 'disaster'
BY RONAN MCSHERRY
AFTER a week's adjournment the Omagh bomb civil trial resumed in Dublin Supreme Court on Tuesday. The trial has moved to the Republic to enable gardai to give testimony and corroborate the evidence of David Rupert, an American trucker who infiltrated the Real IRA for the FBI.
Five dissident republicans deny any part in the Real IRA bombing of Market Street that killed 29 people and unborn twins on August 15, 1998.
The men being sued by the relatives of six of the victims of the blast are Michael McKevitt, Colm Murphy, Liam Campbell, Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna.
The families have sought recourse to a civil action as they believe no-one will ever be convicted in a criminal court of law. The Omagh families are seeking punitive and exemplary damages in this court action.
The court in Dublin has been told that one of the accused men Colm Murphy denied any involvement in the atrocity and told detectives the Omagh bomb was a 'disaster' that was caused by 'other people.'
Giving evidence on Tuesday retired detective garda James Hanley told the court he had interviewed Murphy six times in Monaghan Garda Station during February 1999.
He related that Murphy was told that his mobile phone signal had been picked up at a number of locations in the North,
including Omagh on the day of the bomb. Reading from his interview notes, Mr Hanley said Murphy first maintained he had his phone at all times at home but later admitted lending it to another man.
When he was asked during interrogation whether he condemned the attack, Murphy replied, "I'm not in the business of condemning, as I said it was a tragedy." He also stated that even if he got 20 years his conscious was clear. "I was not in Omagh. It does me good to know I wasn't there," he said.
Murphy (56) was convicted in the Republic in connection with Omagh in 2002 but later had his conviction overturned following claims that two officers lied during his trial.
Dermot Fee QC, for Murphy said his client's position throughout his trial was that a concoction and agreement between interviewing officers had been used to manufacture admissions.
The barrister is expected to cross examine Mr Hanley and Detective Garda Kieran King, who also interviewed Murphy, when the civil trial returns to Dublin on Monday June 9.
The court heard that in the meantime Mr Fee was seeking disclosure on a number of documents in relation to a criminal case against two other gardai who were acquitted of forging notes of an interview and of committing perjury during Murphy's trial five years earlier.
The civil case will return to Belfast High Court for all of next week before going back to Dublin.
BY RONAN MCSHERRY
AFTER a week's adjournment the Omagh bomb civil trial resumed in Dublin Supreme Court on Tuesday. The trial has moved to the Republic to enable gardai to give testimony and corroborate the evidence of David Rupert, an American trucker who infiltrated the Real IRA for the FBI.
Five dissident republicans deny any part in the Real IRA bombing of Market Street that killed 29 people and unborn twins on August 15, 1998.
The men being sued by the relatives of six of the victims of the blast are Michael McKevitt, Colm Murphy, Liam Campbell, Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna.
The families have sought recourse to a civil action as they believe no-one will ever be convicted in a criminal court of law. The Omagh families are seeking punitive and exemplary damages in this court action.
The court in Dublin has been told that one of the accused men Colm Murphy denied any involvement in the atrocity and told detectives the Omagh bomb was a 'disaster' that was caused by 'other people.'
Giving evidence on Tuesday retired detective garda James Hanley told the court he had interviewed Murphy six times in Monaghan Garda Station during February 1999.
He related that Murphy was told that his mobile phone signal had been picked up at a number of locations in the North,
including Omagh on the day of the bomb. Reading from his interview notes, Mr Hanley said Murphy first maintained he had his phone at all times at home but later admitted lending it to another man.
When he was asked during interrogation whether he condemned the attack, Murphy replied, "I'm not in the business of condemning, as I said it was a tragedy." He also stated that even if he got 20 years his conscious was clear. "I was not in Omagh. It does me good to know I wasn't there," he said.
Murphy (56) was convicted in the Republic in connection with Omagh in 2002 but later had his conviction overturned following claims that two officers lied during his trial.
Dermot Fee QC, for Murphy said his client's position throughout his trial was that a concoction and agreement between interviewing officers had been used to manufacture admissions.
The barrister is expected to cross examine Mr Hanley and Detective Garda Kieran King, who also interviewed Murphy, when the civil trial returns to Dublin on Monday June 9.
The court heard that in the meantime Mr Fee was seeking disclosure on a number of documents in relation to a criminal case against two other gardai who were acquitted of forging notes of an interview and of committing perjury during Murphy's trial five years earlier.
The civil case will return to Belfast High Court for all of next week before going back to Dublin.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1946
Published Date: 29-May-08
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