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Omagh families'
devastation at verdict
21.12.07
THE MOTHER of one of
the Buncrana victims of the Omagh bomb broke down
yesterday after Sean Hoey was found not guilty of
murdering her son and 28 others in the August 15,
1998 atrocity.
Devastated Donna Marie Barker, mother of 12-year old
James Barker, said a sister of the acquitted man
came over to shake her hand after the verdict was
delivered. She said she didn't know who the woman
was at the time and told reporters afterwards she
was upset at the unwanted gesture. |
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Ms. Barker and her
English lawyer husband Victor, lived in Porthaw,
Buncrana, with their young family at the time of the
atrocity. His friends Oran Doherty, 8, and Shaun
McLaughlin, 11, both from Knockalla Park, Buncrana,
also died in the bombing. The Barkers exhumed their
son's remains from St. Mary's Cemetery, Cockhill, in
2000 and returned to England. They had |
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travelled to
Belfast Crown Court yesterday in the hope of getting
justice.
"I thought there might be a little bit of hope but
that void I thought would have stopped just goes on
like as if it was yesterday," said Ms. Barker.
"The victims in this don't seem to have justice."
Sean Hoey, 38, an electrician from Molly Road,
Jonesborough, County Armagh, was cleared of all 56
charges linked to a series of terrorist attacks in
the North in the run-up to, and including, the Omagh
atrocity. He had maintained his innocence throughout
the lengthy trial.
In a damning indictment of the PSNI's handling of
the investigation, Mr Justice Weir said there was a
"deliberate and calculated deception by police".
Transcripts of the trial have been sent to the
Police Ombudsman.
In a statement to the media, the PSNI said it
accepted the court's decision to acquit Sean Hoey of
all charges against him and "expresses its deep
regret that the many victims and their relatives
have not yet seen anyone made amenable for these
crimes."
The statement continued: "The Service will study Mr
Justice Weir's judgement in detail and will work to
ensure that any organisational or procedural
shortcomings are addressed. We also await the
outcome of a Police Ombudsman investigation into two
officers who gave evidence during the trial." The
Omagh relatives last night demanded a full public
inquiry into the bombing. |
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