FAMILY'S SHEER DELIGHT AT LANDMARK RULING
Family's 'sheer delight' at landmark ruling
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
r.donnelly@ulsterherald.com
THE sister of Omagh bomb victim Alan Radford has spoken of her family's "sheer delight" at Monday's landmark ruling.
Claire Radford said they had no inkling that Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were going to be found liable for the Omagh bomb until Justice Morgan was some way into his lengthy ruling.
She added that her mother and brother Paul had taken the case, but all of the family went to the High Court to support them.
Claire expressed deep disappointment that no convictions have been made in a criminal court, but said the successful civil case has given the families some justice.
"This was never about getting money, it was about trying to get some justice for Alan."
At 16, Alan was a year older than his teenage sister when the bomb exploded. Claire said no money could ever replace Alan and her family would give it all up just to have him back again.
"What made the judge's ruling so important to the families on Monday was that, for the first time ever, the names of the four men were read out in court as being responsible for the Omagh bomb.
"He (Justice Morgan) was excellent and left nothing out in his ruling. He had gone into so much detail about all aspects of the case and it took over an hour for him to finish, which is an indication of its complexity."
Claire added that Monday's ruling will help her family "move on with their lives."
"After much discussion, we have decided that we have done all we could have done for Alan and we will not be getting involved in any public enquiry."
Claire said that if and when her mother receives the compensation set by the judge, she will have to pay back the compensation she received after he was murdered. "Apparently you cannot receive compensation for the same incident from the government."
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
r.donnelly@ulsterherald.com
THE sister of Omagh bomb victim Alan Radford has spoken of her family's "sheer delight" at Monday's landmark ruling.
Claire Radford said they had no inkling that Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were going to be found liable for the Omagh bomb until Justice Morgan was some way into his lengthy ruling.
She added that her mother and brother Paul had taken the case, but all of the family went to the High Court to support them.
Claire expressed deep disappointment that no convictions have been made in a criminal court, but said the successful civil case has given the families some justice.
"This was never about getting money, it was about trying to get some justice for Alan."
At 16, Alan was a year older than his teenage sister when the bomb exploded. Claire said no money could ever replace Alan and her family would give it all up just to have him back again.
"What made the judge's ruling so important to the families on Monday was that, for the first time ever, the names of the four men were read out in court as being responsible for the Omagh bomb.
"He (Justice Morgan) was excellent and left nothing out in his ruling. He had gone into so much detail about all aspects of the case and it took over an hour for him to finish, which is an indication of its complexity."
Claire added that Monday's ruling will help her family "move on with their lives."
"After much discussion, we have decided that we have done all we could have done for Alan and we will not be getting involved in any public enquiry."
Claire said that if and when her mother receives the compensation set by the judge, she will have to pay back the compensation she received after he was murdered. "Apparently you cannot receive compensation for the same incident from the government."
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1981
Published Date: 11-Jun-09
Related Images
