Murphy given 14-year jail term for Omagh bomb role

Colm Murphy has been sentenced for 14 years by the Special Criminal Court for his role in the Omagh bombing in 1998.

Colm Murphy has been sentenced for 14 years by the Special Criminal Court for his role in the Omagh bombing in 1998.

 Colm Murphy
Colm Murphy

He is the only person to be convicted in connection with the atrocity that killed 29 people, including a mother pregnant with twins.

Murphy (49), a building contractor and publican who is a native of Co Armagh, with an address at Jordan's Corner, Ravensdale, Co Louth, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to cause an explosion.

Before sentencing, Counsel for Murphy Mr Michael O'Higgins SC said his client had "no hand, act or part in the outrage at Omagh."

READ MORE

He said there were "degrees of concentric circles" and that Mr Murphy was a "long, long way from the centre of the conspiracy. He was not a bombmaker, he wasn't a member of the 'Real IRA', but was someone who could be relied upon to be a sympathiser."

Handing down the sentence today, Mr Justice Robert Barr said the court accepted the part Murphy played in the Omagh bombing as a "service provider" was a lesser one, but that he was guilty of a serious crime.

He said the court accepted that Murphy was on the "outer fringes" of the conspiracy.

But he said such criminal activity should be treated with the utmost severity.

The three judges decided that Murphy lent his own mobile phone and that of his unwitting foreman, Mr Terence Morgan, to a man believed to be one of those responsible for planting the Omagh bomb.

Murphy was found guilty on the basis of confessions he made while in Garda custody in February 1999.

He was also convicted on evidence given by mobile phone expert, RUC officers and security service agents who tracked the two phones travelling from Co Monaghan to Omagh and back again on the day of the attack.

One mobile phone was used by the bombers transporting the explosives, the other was used by a team in a "scout car", travelling some distance ahead.

Outside the court, relatives of some of the Omagh victims told the media they were pleased with the outcome.

Mr Michael Gallagher said: "We're grateful for what the gardai and the courts have done". He appealed to those with knowledge of the bombing to come forward to assist security forces in securing more convictions.

His message to those responsible was: "Hopefully we will be back to see many more of you people in the dock".

Mr Kevin Skelton said he was "absolutely delighted" with the sentence. "Hopefully this is a start to bringing all those responsible to justice," he said.