Move to dismiss Omagh bomb case

The trial is at Dublin's Special Criminal Court

Lawyers for the only person charged in connection with the Omagh bomb have applied to have the case dismissed.

Colm Murphy from Dundalk in County Louth denies conspiracy to cause an explosion on the weekend of 15 August 1998 when 29 people were killed in the County Tyrone town. Hundreds of others were injured.

Mr Murphy's legal team said on Wednesday there were alleged discrepancies in police evidence taken when he was interviewed.

It has been demonstrated to the court in a clear and categorical act that a very, very serious abuse has taken place

Michael O'Higgins, Defence Lawyer

Dublin's Special Criminal Court heard from a police forensic officer, Detective Garda Geraldine Butler, that tests showed part of a page of notes were written after the interview.

The detective said she carried out an ESDA test used to detect pen indentations.

Under cross examination by defence lawyer Michael O'Higgins, she said there were similarities on many pages between the written words and indentations on other pages.

However, she said there were also dissimilarities and that page three of the notes had been rewritten.

'Into question'

Mr O'Higgins then made an application to have the case against Mr Murphy dismissed and said it brought the entire prosecution case into question.

"There are grave, grave questions to be answered about each and every single aspect of these interrogations," he said.

Colm Murphy: Only person charged in connection with Omagh bombing

The lawyer also said the alleged confession made by his client - that he had handed two mobile telephones to a known dissident republican plotting the bombing - were "manifestly untrue".

"It has been demonstrated to the court in a clear and categorical act that a very, very serious abuse has taken place," he said.

In evidence heard earlier, a bricklayer who once worked for Mr Murphy said he had lent him his mobile phone the day before the atrocity in Omagh.

It is alleged Mr Murphy also handed this phone to the bombers to be used in the planting of the device.

The court previously heard that both mobile phones were detected travelling to Omagh from the Dundalk/Castleblayney border area on the day of the bombing.

The case continues.