Rights chief refused Omagh meeting by PSNI

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission chief Brice Dickson was refused a meeting police to discuss their investigation into the Omagh bomb atrocity, it was revealed today.

With the British and Irish governments under increasing pressure to agree demands for a full public inquiry into the August 1998 attack which left 29 people dead, outraged victims’ relatives hit out at the decision to turn down Professor Dickson’s request for talks.

He has already examined a number of files compiled by the families and has also been urged to back their campaign for a full-scale cross-border judicial hearing.

Godfrey Wilson, whose daughter Lorraine, aged 15, was killed in the Real IRA car bombing, said: “The investigation team should be willing to meet with anyone who is looking for justice and who wants to safeguard the rights of innocent victims.

“It’s crazy they couldn’t bring themselves to see him and we are all very disappointed.”

Detectives are to question a PSNI Special Branch officer in a bid to trace the source of a anonymous telephone call which warned of a planned attack which was to take place in Omagh on the day of the bombing.

He is likely to be interviewed within the next few weeks.