Key Omagh trial witness dies, court hears

A key garda witness in the retrial of building contractor Colm Murphy in connection with the 1998 Real IRA Omagh bombing has died, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

The court was told that Detective Garda Liam Donnelly died last May, but defence solicitor Mr Michael Finucane said that the defence was only notified of this on July 24.

He applied for an adjournment of the retrial because he said the defence had to consider issues arising from this and there could be further proceedings. Earlier this month the Supreme Court cleared the way for Murphy’s retrial and dismissed his appeal against a new trial.

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, said today that following the Supreme’s Court decision, the court was anxious that the trial should proceed as early as possible. The court remanded Murphy on continuing bail until early October and Mr Justice Butler said the court would then fix a trial date.

Detective Garda Donnelly was one of two gardaí who were cleared in 2006 of perjury in Murphy’s original trial. He was one of several detectives who interviewed Murphy after his arrest.

Mr Murphy (aged 54), a native of Co Armagh with an address at Jordan's Corner, Ravensdale, Co Louth, s charged with conspiring in Dundalk with another person not before the court to cause an explosion in the State or elsewhere between August 13 and 16, 1998.

The prosecution case alleges that Murphy supplied a mobile phone to the people involved in the Omagh bombing.

Murphy’s original trial began in October 2001 and concluded in January 2002. He was convicted and sentenced to 14 years but the conviction was quashed on appeal and he was freed on bail in 2005.

Twenty nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, died in the Omagh bombing, the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.