Omagh victims' families 'want judicial inquiry'

The families of 29 people killed in the Omagh bomb would not be satisfied if a truth and reconciliation commission was set up to establish what happened, it was claimed today.

Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was killed in the real IRA attack in August 1998, claimed relatives of those killed in the atrocity would not have much confidence in a South African-style truth commission.

As he prepared to address a fringe meeting at the British Conservative Party’s conference in Blackpool, Mr Gallagher said he could see no reason why there couldn’t be a judicial inquiry into Omagh.

“As far as people in Omagh are concerned I think we would be looking for a mechanism other than the truth and reconciliation model that is being talked about,” he told PA News.

“I cannot see why you can’t have an inquiry set up with real teeth and real power.

“This is much more preferable than the South African model of truth and reconciliation where people can choose to participate or not participate.

“Rather than having a kind of pussy-footing exercise where the perpetrator says I am sorry and there is no real satisfaction, I think we should have an inquiry that can ask for documents.

“It should also be able to summon witnesses from army intelligence, MI5, the Gardaí, and which can highlight deficiencies where those deficiencies occurred.”

Twenty Nine people including a mother of unborn twins died in the car bomb attack in Omagh which was the single worst atrocity in the history of Northern Ireland’s troubles.

To date, only one person, Dundalk publican Colm Murphy has been jailed for having a role in the bomb.

He was imprisoned by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin for the attack.

Some Omagh relatives have launched a civil action against five people who they believe were involved and are suing them for £10m (€14m) in damages.

In August, Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy announced that the British government would provide £800,000 (€1.1m) towards the legal costs of the civil action.

Mr Gallagher was due to take part at today’s event alongside Victor Barker, whose 12-year-old son James also was killed.

Mr Barker was appearing following revelations that he met the real IRA’s political wing, the 32 County Sovereignty Movement in Swords, Dublin last December.

Mr Gallagher welcomed the opportunity to address members of a political party.

“This is the first time a major party has asked to hear the voice of victims at a conference,” he said.

“Certainly I can say that none of the party political conferences in Ireland have ever invited the Omagh families to address them.

“It is a credit to the Conservative Party that their Northern Ireland members approached us to address the Party in Blackpool.

“This will give us an opportunity to brief people on the slow progress in the quest for justice in Omagh.

“We will tell them that we have a lot of concerns about what the Irish Government is doing about a report into allegations that the gardai knew before the attack about a bomb coming north of the border.

“We have concerns that there might be a cover-up and even though the senior investigating officer appointed to the Omagh investigation is, in our opinion, one of the best officers you could get in Northern Ireland, we would be worried about how much co-operation he is getting.”