Detective denies perjury in earlier Omagh trial

A Detective Garda denied at the Special Criminal Court today that he had perjured himself when he gave evidence almost nine years ago in the trial of Colm Murphy in connection with the Omagh bombing in 1998.

Detective Garda John Fahy said that he was "as shocked as anyone else'' when scientific evidence revealed during Murphy's first trial that interview notes with him had been rewritten.

He denied suggestions by Murphy's counsel Mr Michael O' Higgins SC that he had "perjured himself'' at the first trial. Detective Garda Fahy said that he had been "fully investigated'', had been put on trial and had been acquitted by the direction of the judge.

"I was tried in the courts of this land like everybody else. The judge ruled on the matter and I accept the judge's ruling,'' he added.

It was the fifth day of the trial of Murphy, a 57-year-old building contractor and publican, and native of Co Armagh with an address at Jordan's Corner, Ravensdale, Co Louth.

Murphy has denied conspiring with another person in Dundalk to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious damage to property in the State or elsewhere between August 13 and 16, 1998.

The prosecution is claiming that Murphy lent two mobile phones to a man who transported the car bomb from Dundalk to Omagh where it exploded on August 15, 1998 killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins , and injured more than 300. The Real IRA claimed responsibility for the attack.

Murphy was originally convicted of the charge in 2002 and sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment but the conviction was quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 2005 and a retrial was ordered.

The trial is continuing.