Omagh bomb police chief to meet victims' families

The new head of the Omagh bomb investigation is to face tough questions from victims’ relatives when he meets them for the first time next week.

With families still £300,000 (€467,000) short of the £1.5m (€2.3m) needed to pay for a legal action against the men they blame for the atrocity, talks are to take place on the fresh investigation.

In a letter to relatives in advance of next Tuesday’s meeting, Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kinkaid said: ‘‘In recent months there have been a number of changes in the management and direction of the investigation into this horrendous crime.’’

Mr Kinkaid said he would introduce the new senior investigating officer, Norman Baxter, and his deputy to the families of the 29 people - including a woman pregnant with twins - who were killed in the Real IRA bomb attack in Omagh on August 15, 1998.

The meeting would also provide an ‘‘outline of the roles and responsibilities of our colleagues from Merseyside Constabulary’’, he added.

Detective Superintendent Norman Baxter has replaced the retired Brian McArthur as the police chief with responsibility for the Omagh area, and the bomb investigation recently.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed in the bomb, said relatives will have some tough questions for police during the meeting.

He said: ‘‘I am particularly interested in the changes in the direction of the investigation mentioned in the letter.

‘‘I will be going to the meeting to listen to what they have to say but I think the families will have some tough questions for the investigation team.

‘‘However, I think it is good news that that things seem to be moving forward,’’ he added.

Attempts have been made by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the cross-community policing Board recently to restore confidence in the inquiry following a damning report by Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan into the RUC’s handling of the probe.

The ombudsman listed six recommendations, including the appointment of a senior investigating officer, independent of the PSNI, to head the probe.

The role of Merseyside officer, Chief Superintendent Philip Jones, has since been enhanced to give him equal status to that of the senior investigating officer.

Mike Tonge, Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, has also been appointed by the Policing Board to ‘‘quality assure’’ the probe.

It has also emerged that just one month before the deadline for the serving of writs on those suspected of causing the bombing, the relatives’ legal action fund remains almost £300,000 short.

The families have been advised that they need to raise £1.5m (€2.3m) to fund the civil action by the deadline for the serving of writs on the bomb suspects on August 10.

Since they launched the Omagh Victims Legal Fund two years ago, they have raised £1.2m (€1.9m) towards the cost of a landmark case against members of the Real IRA, who have been blamed for the atrocity.

The high-profile campaign has been aided by celebrities including Live Aid founder Sir Bob Geldof, former boxing world champion Barry McGuigan and best-selling Irish novelist Maeve Binchy.

Only one person has been convicted of charges relating to the bomb so far.

Colm Murphy was sentenced in January to 14 years in jail at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin for conspiracy to cause an explosion.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the police ombudsman’s office said a statement given to it by a suspended Garda sergeant, who claimed Irish police knew the Real IRA had stolen a car two days before the Omagh bombing, had been passed to the Republic’s Department of Foreign Affairs in March.