Omagh bomb trial adjourned

The trial of an electrician accused of murdering 29 people in the Omagh bomb atrocity was adjourned today after his senior lawyer told the court that he himself was too unwell to begin the case.

Orlando Pownall QC, representing south Armagh man Sean Hoey, told Mr Justice Weir that he had only travelled to Northern Ireland at the last minute to alert Belfast Crown Court to his ill health.

During a tense exchange with the judge, who expressed frustration at the late request to delay one of the biggest murder trials in British legal history, the lawyer said that he hoped blood tests would clear him to begin on September 18.

He said: “I am unwell. I appear before you against medical advice.”

Relatives of some of those killed in the August 1998 Real IRA massacre packed into the public gallery for the start of the trial, which is expected to run until Christmas.

But there was astonishment as the barrister rose to his feet and urged the court to agree to the adjournment.

He said the medical expert who examined him for an undisclosed illness said it was the first time in 37 years of practice that he had encountered such symptoms.

Even though he could not guarantee that he would be well enough to take charge of the defence later this month, Mr Pownall stressed that it was critical for the purpose of achieving a fair trial.

But the prospect of the trial getting under way at that stage appeared in doubt when he added: “This is a complicated case and for another senior (counsel) to recollect the facts within 10 days is, with the best will in the world, an insurmountable task.”

With the prosecution expressing no objections, Mr Justice Weir agreed to the adjournment but made clear his deep disappointment at the development, which he had only been alerted to informally yesterday.

Up to 40 relatives were in the court for today's hearing and one woman burst into tears when she caught her first sight of the defendant in the witness box.

Hoey, 37, was flanked by two prison officers as he sat in the dock wearing a corduroy jacket over a green and white striped shirt and denim jeans.

Outside the court relatives said they were devastated by the new delay.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was among the victims, said: “There is utter disbelief. We came here having psyched ourselves up for this day only to find there’s been a false start. It hasn’t been easy for the relatives and this just adds to the difficulties we all face.”

Laurence Rush, whose wife, Libby (Elizabeth), was killed in the explosion, said he was outraged and appalled by the adjournment.

He said: “It’s a travesty and a disgrace. I am absolutely wasted by this timescale. We’ve waited eight years for this and now we seem to find ourselves in something of a timewarp.

“I am not usually lost for words but I just can’t believe the reasons that were given for the adjournment.”