Garda interview with Omagh suspect rewritten, court hears
A Garda interview with a man accused in connection with the Omagh bombing was rewritten, the Special Criminal Court heard today.
Expert evidence was heard in the trial of Colm Murphy (aged 57), a native of Co Armagh but with an address at Jordan's Corner, Ravensdale, Co Louth, who is accused of conspiring in Dundalk between August 13 and 16, 1998 with another person to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the State or elsewhere.
Mr Murphy, a building contractor and publican, denies the charge.
Detective Garda Geraldine Butler, Document Examination Centre, today told the fourth day of the trial, that she carried out EZDA testing of interview notes taken by Detective Garda Liam Donnelly, now deceased, and Detective Garda John Fahy on February 22, 1999 during Mr Murphy's detention at Monaghan garda station.
The special three-judge, non-jury court was told that such testing involved the examination of indentations on papers.
The court heard that although there were “strong similarities” between what had been written in the notes and what the indentations suggested, “dissimilarities” also existed.
The court was told that page impressions indicated that an additional question was put to the accused man, to which he answered “yes”.
Detective Garda Butler agreed with Defence Counsel Mr Michael O’Higgins that the “only conclusion” therefore, was that page three of the notes were "rewritten".
The court also heard the EZDA testing indicated the presence of partial signatures at the bottom of the page.
Defence Counsel put it to Detective Garda Butler that this was important as it meant that the “other, earlier document” had been signed.
She accepted this was significant but added that she “couldn’t say for definite” whose signature it was, as it was only partially visible.
Also giving evidence today was Detective Garda John Fahy, who told the trial, that he “dealt with one set of notes” and said it came as a “shock” to him that the notes were rewritten.
Under cross-examination from lawyers for Mr Murphy, Garda Fahy said he “could not dispute science”, but said he “did not rewrite” the interview.
Defence Counsel put it to Mr Fahy that there was an earlier version of the interview which suggested extra lines and material. Mr O’Higgins said these indentations contained partial signatures, made up of the letters “ahy”.
Mr Fahy said there was nobody else in the interview room with a similar name, and denied having ever put the question indicated to exist by the EZDA testing to Mr Murphy.
The prosecution is alleging that Murphy lent his mobile phone and another mobile phone to a man who then used them while transporting the bomb in a stolen Vauxhall Cavalier car from Dundalk to Omagh.
The prosecution is claiming that calls made from Murphy's phone from Omagh were consistent with the timing of the bombing.
The attack killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured 300.
The trial continues on Tuesday next.
