Friday, 8 July 2011
Michael Gallagher Future civil cases against Omagh bomb suspects should be financially backed by the Government, victims' families have demanded.
Bereaved relatives embroiled in a 12-year battle for justice made the calls after the Appeal Court yesterday directed a civil retrial against one of four suspects for the 1998 Real IRA atrocity, Colm Murphy from Dundalk, Co Louth.
The court also ruled it will hear arguments on a possible retrial of a second suspect, Seamus Daly, from Cullaville, Co Monaghan, in September.
Victims' families have now called for financial support from the Government to pay for possibly two civil cases.
In 2008, campaigners raised ?1.2m to fund the landmark civil action against the people suspected of causing the Real IRA bombing - Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt and three other men - Liam Campbell, Murphy and Daly.
They were supported in their efforts to raise funds for the court case by former US president Bill Clinton and former Northern Ireland secretaries Peter Mandelson and Sir Patrick Mayhew.
The Government provided over ?750,000 backing for the action "under legal aid rules".
In 2009, McKevitt, Campbell, Murphy and Daly were found to be responsible for the terrorist attack which killed 29 people and unborn twins.
In Belfast High Court two years ago, Mr Justice Declan Morgan, now Northern Ireland's Lord Chief Justice, found the four men liable and ordered them to pay ?1.6m in compensation.
Appeals lodged at Belfast High Court by convicted Real IRA leader McKevitt and fellow senior republican Liam Campbell were yesterday dismissed by a panel of three judges. But appeals by Murphy and Daly were allowed.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, last night said the financial burden on the pursuit of justice had "taken its toll" on families, leading to calls for Government support.
"We will be eternally grateful for the public support in raising the funds to pursue the civil action," he said. "But we have had to campaign and put pressure on for 12 and-a-half years and that takes it toll on the families, and it is very difficult to sustain that."
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said: "The minister will consider any application for legal aid the family makes."
No comments:
Post a Comment