Fine Gael 'Disappointed' Over Omagh Dismissal

Ireland's largest Opposition party has reacted with "disappointment" at the quashing of the only criminal conviction successfully brought over the Omagh bombing.

This morning, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny expressed his disappointment over he dismissal.

"The decision of the Court of Criminal Appeal to dismiss the case against a man charged in connection with the Real IRA bomb in Omagh in 1998 will come as a huge disappointment to the families of the victims of this atrocity who have campaigned so long for justice on behalf of their loved-ones," he said.

“The situation now is that nobody stands convicted of the largest single terrorist attack in Northern Ireland.

"While getting a successful prosecution at this stage will be very difficult, I would urge the security services on both sides of the border to continue to cooperate on this case. There are clearly people who have information that can lead to the prosecution of those responsible and I appeal to them to recognise the huge pain that is being suffered by the victims' families, by coming forward with this information."

Yesterday, the only man jailed over the 1998 Omagh bombing was cleared during a retrial in Dublin and released.

Colm Murphy, 57, from Co Louth, was jailed for 14 years in 2002 for conspiracy but won an appeal against his conviction in 2005 and was sent for a retrial in January this year at the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin.

Murphy had pleaded not guilty to conspiring with another person to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the State or elsewhere between August 13 and 16 1998.

The prosecution had claimed he lent two mobile phones to a man who was involved in transporting the car bomb from Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, to the Co Tyrone market town, where it exploded on August 15.

In his verdict on Wednesday, Mr Justice Butler said interview evidence from members of the Irish police (gardai) was inadmissible.

During the trial, Judge Butler accused two gardai detectives of consistent perjury in relation to interview notes.

Mr Murphy said after being acquitted: "I am glad to see it's all over.''

The original trial found Mr Murphy was guilty of conspiracy to cause an explosion because he lent mobile phones to the gang who planted the Omagh bomb, knowing they would be used for moving bombs.

Murphy was originally convicted of the charge in 2002 but the Irish Court of Criminal Appeal quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial in 2005.

Last June, Mr Murphy and three other men were found liable for the Omagh bombing in a civil action taken by 12 relatives of people killed in the attack.

Mr Murphy, Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell and Seamus Daly, who are alleged to be Real IRA members, were ordered to pay £1.6m in damages to the relatives. The findings of the civil case were not permitted to affect the outcome of the retrial in Dublin, however.

(DW/BMcC)