Cheering Hoey supporters 'showed total disrespect'
THE stunned silence of the families was in stark contrast to the rabble-rousing of Sean Hoey's supporters as he was cleared of the Omagh bombing.
Vincent Barker, whose 12-year-old son died in the atrocity, accused those cheering of showing "total disrespect
for the families", a view shared by others who had lost loved ones.
Hoey, who initially sat impassively, smiled and waved at his family as he was led out of the room.
Outside the courtroom, Hoey's relatives and supporters congratulated and hugged one another.
For the families of the Omagh dead, there was only disappointment and frustration, leaving some with tears
in their eyes.
Earlier in the day, the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife as the two factions, along with the
Press, waited anxiously to get into the courtroom.
The seats were filled within moments of the doors opening, journalists filing into spaces normally occupied by
a jury as well as their allocated benches.
The public gallery was filled to overflowing, with some people forced to stand in the corridors.
Hoey, accompanied by two policemen, was brought into the docks at the centre of the
court, with his back to the public gallery. Even from across the room, he looked tired and drawn.
He sat nervously throughout the judge's verdict, one hand on his knee and deep wrinkles visible on his brow.
Apart from the judge's voice, there was silence in the court, everyone listening intently to the judgment.
After such a build-up, the verdict itself was over in a flash. The consequences, however, will rumble on and on.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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