DISSIDENTS APPEAL AGAINST OMAGH BOMB VERDICT
Dissidents appeal against Omagh bomb verdict
FOUR dissident republicans who were held liable for the Real IRA bomb in Omagh on August 15, 1998 are back in court appealing against the result of the civil case taken against them.
Six families of those killed in the bombing took the multi-million pound civil action against the men who were subsequently found to be responsible for the atrocity.
Twenty-nine people and unborn twins lost their lives while hundreds more were injured.
The dissident republicans sued for the massacre were Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly. The relatives were awarded �1.6m compensation last June, however none of the men sued has the capacity to pay out any kind of large-scale payment.
The families sought recourse to the civil action as they believed no-one will ever be convicted in a criminal court of law. The only man to face criminal charges over the killings, Sean Hoey from Jonesborough in south Armagh, was acquitted in 2007.
The victims' families will also appeal the level of compensation awarded at the civil case.
They are pressing for a more punitive award of exemplary damages.
The appeal began on Monday with counsel for the four men claiming that the evidence at the civil case from FBI agent Rupert Murdock, who infiltrated the Real IRA, was "tainted." Of the 16 grounds of appeal most relate to the American's evidence.
Describing Murdock as a "a confidence trickster and a pathological liar" defence counsel Michael O'Higgins, argued that there had not been an opportunity to cross-examine him as he had not given evidence in person.
He claimed that the agent's non-appearance was treated as lacking significance, while for his client, the jailed Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt the consequences were "catastrophic." McKevitt is currently serving a 20 jail term in the Republic for "directing terrorism." That conviction was achieved through the evidence of Murdock at McKevitt's criminal trial in Dublin in 2003.
Mr O'Higgins added that the evidence in the civil case was circumstantial, the findings of the court were tainted and the end result was flawed.
The defence barrister pledged to go through the original judgement "if not slavishly then very, very closely" in an effort to show the judge had not adequately considered defence submissions. He added. "We are here to make arguments that the findings of the court are tainted."
The legal challenge over the case at the Court of Appeal could last up to two weeks.
FOUR dissident republicans who were held liable for the Real IRA bomb in Omagh on August 15, 1998 are back in court appealing against the result of the civil case taken against them.
Six families of those killed in the bombing took the multi-million pound civil action against the men who were subsequently found to be responsible for the atrocity.
Twenty-nine people and unborn twins lost their lives while hundreds more were injured.
The dissident republicans sued for the massacre were Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly. The relatives were awarded �1.6m compensation last June, however none of the men sued has the capacity to pay out any kind of large-scale payment.
The families sought recourse to the civil action as they believed no-one will ever be convicted in a criminal court of law. The only man to face criminal charges over the killings, Sean Hoey from Jonesborough in south Armagh, was acquitted in 2007.
The victims' families will also appeal the level of compensation awarded at the civil case.
They are pressing for a more punitive award of exemplary damages.
The appeal began on Monday with counsel for the four men claiming that the evidence at the civil case from FBI agent Rupert Murdock, who infiltrated the Real IRA, was "tainted." Of the 16 grounds of appeal most relate to the American's evidence.
Describing Murdock as a "a confidence trickster and a pathological liar" defence counsel Michael O'Higgins, argued that there had not been an opportunity to cross-examine him as he had not given evidence in person.
He claimed that the agent's non-appearance was treated as lacking significance, while for his client, the jailed Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt the consequences were "catastrophic." McKevitt is currently serving a 20 jail term in the Republic for "directing terrorism." That conviction was achieved through the evidence of Murdock at McKevitt's criminal trial in Dublin in 2003.
Mr O'Higgins added that the evidence in the civil case was circumstantial, the findings of the court were tainted and the end result was flawed.
The defence barrister pledged to go through the original judgement "if not slavishly then very, very closely" in an effort to show the judge had not adequately considered defence submissions. He added. "We are here to make arguments that the findings of the court are tainted."
The legal challenge over the case at the Court of Appeal could last up to two weeks.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/2020
Published Date: 13-Jan-11
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.