McKevitt lawyers can challenge ruling

Lawyers acting for dissident republican terror chief Michael McKevitt were today told they can seek next month to overturn a Northern Ireland High Court refusal to grant him legal aid to defend the civil action being brought by relatives of Omagh bomb victims.

During a brief hearing in the High Court Mr Justice Girvan set October 26 for the judicial review to challenge the refusal.

McKevitt, 54, from Blackrock, Co Lough, in the Irish Republic, is one of five men being sued for £10m (€15m) in a landmark case brought by several relatives of the 29 people murdered in the August 1998 bomb massacre carried out by the Real IRA.

He is currently serving a 20 year sentence imposed at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin 13 months ago after he was found guilty of running the Real IRA.

His conviction was seen as a huge boost for the Omagh families attempting to show in the civil courts he was responsible for the deaths of their loved ones in the worst single atrocity during 30 years of bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

The other terrorist suspects named in the families’ action are Colm Murphy and Seamus McKenna, both of Silverbridge, south Armagh, Liam Campbell from Dundalk, Co Louth, and Seamus Daly of Castleblaney, Co Monaghan.