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January 13, 2008

Cleared Omagh suspect to sue over victim’s father quotes

By PA Mediapoint

The man cleared of the 29 murders in the Omagh bomb tragedy is to seek damages from the father of a young boy killed in the atrocity, it has been revealed.

Lawyers for Sean Hoey said he was angered by comments made by Victor Barker, whose 12-year-old son James died in the 1998 bomb, after last week’s judgment.

Kevin Winters, Hoey’s legal representative, said Barker’s remarks, which were carried by certain media outlets, were actionable.

‘Sean Hoey refutes completely the allegations made by Victor Barker when he persists in blaming him for Omagh,’said Winters.

‘Mr Hoey is an innocent man and the court’s judgment is an emphatic endorsement of his innocence.

‘We will not hesitate to use the courts again to protect his name.

‘The comments made yesterday and repeated in some newspapers today will be actionable.

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‘In addition, we are considering a malicious prosecution civil action against the prosecuting authorities following [the] judgment.”

Hoey, an electrician from Jonesborough, was cleared last Thursday of 56 charges relating to Omagh and other dissident republican bomb attacks in Belfast Crown Court.

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