Omagh judge will not dismiss charges
Thursday, 30 November 2006 16:44The judge in the Omagh bomb trial has said that while the conduct of two police witnesses was reprehensible he will not dismiss two of the 58 charges against 37-year-old electrician Sean Hoey.
Mr Hoey, from Molly Road in Jonesborough, faces a total of 58 charges, all of which he denies.
Two of those charges relate to a murder conspiracy and mortar bomb find at Altmore Forest near Dungannon in April 2001.
Mr Hoey's defence counsel had sought to have these two charges dismissed claiming there was a conspiracy by police to bury and alter evidence.
Mr Justice Weir said the defence had exposed the nature of false and misleading evidence by two police witnesses and agreed with submissions that the misconduct of the two witnesses involved was reprehensible.
He added the credibility and reliability of the two witnesses had being brought into serious question but he did not accept that their actions were so grave as to threaten or undermine the rule of law itself and any prejudice could be dealt with within the trial process.
He therefore denied the defence application to dismiss the two charges and the trial continues.
