A building contractor "lent his aid" to people who planted the Omagh bomb in August 1998, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin was told yesterday.
Mr Peter Charleton SC, prosecuting, said Mr Colm Murphy "aided in terms of setting the bomb without necessarily knowing where it was going to be set off". Mr Murphy had supplied "something useful" for an earlier bomb in Banbridge, Co Down, on August 1st, 1998, and "knowingly lent his aid to persons whom he knew were doing a bombing run".
After the trial opened, Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, objected to evidence relating to the Omagh bombing before the prosecution had established the nature of the alleged conspiracy to which his client belonged.
Mr Murphy (49), a father of four, building contractor and publican, from Co Armagh and with an address at Ravensdale, Co Louth, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring in Dundalk with another person not before the court to cause an explosion in the State or elsewhere between August 13th and 16th, 1998.
Opening the prosecution case, Mr Charleton said the offence of conspiracy was complete when agreement was reached between the conspirators. He said explosions in Banbridge on August 1st, 1998, and in Omagh on August 15th, 1998, show the groundwork on which the conspiracy was laid.
Having aided an enterprise that resulted in an explosion on August 1st, the occurrence of a further explosion became a likely matter in Mr Murphy's mind when his aid was called upon again.
Mr Charleton said conspiracy was " a criminal wrong" which did not require a proximate act. He said Mr Murphy "knowingly lent his aid to persons whom he knew were doing a bombing run".
Mr Murphy, having lent his aid, became complicit in the agreement and responsible and amenable in law to the charge laid against him.
Mr Charleton continued that at 4.11 p.m. on August 1st, 1998, an RUC inspector received a warning that there was going to be a car bomb in Banbridge, Co Down, in a red Vauxhall Cavalier car.
At 4.31 p.m., a 500 lb bomb detonated, injuring 35 civilians and three police officers.
Mr Charleton said the prosecution's case was that Mr Murphy not only knew about this bombing but had aided in it. His aid was called upon again in relation to another bomb and he willingly lent his aid to it, which was likely to cause loss of life.
Mr Murphy was not in Omagh and did not carry the bomb there. The inference was that he aided in terms of setting the bomb without necessarily knowing where it was going to be set off.
Mr Charleton said evidence recovered from the Omagh bomb indicated a Vauxhall Cavalier was used in the bombing. A damaged time and power unit, toggle switch, three batteries and lengths of wire were also recovered. There was at least one booster charge.
The car was stolen from Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, on August 13th and was fitted with false number plates.
He said that on the day of that bombing, RUC Sgt Martin Miller received a message that a warning had been received in Belfast that a bomb was due to go off in 30 minutes near the courthouse in Omagh and the caller had used the same code word as the Banbridge bombing.
At 2.36 p.m., Sgt Miller received another message that the bomb was not near the courthouse but was 200 yards from there. Police officers cleared roads around the courthouse but at the far end of Market Street, a bomb exploded at 15.05 p.m.
The prosecution also alleged the aid Mr Murphy had given was returned to him. Mr Charleton said the nature of the aid would be proved by forensic examination.
Mr Murphy was arrested on February 21st, 1999, and taken to Monaghan Garda station. Mr Charleton said the prosecution alleged there was a confession but this would be challenged by the defence.
The trial resumes on Monday.