Omagh relatives meet with police chiefs

Families of the Omagh bomb victims have met with the senior police officers in charge of the investigation into the atrocity, which killed 29 people in August 1998.

Relatives met with Detective Superintendent Norman Baxter and Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid on Tuesday evening - which marked the first time the families have come face to face with the new team appointed to examine the events of that day.

The hour meeting saw DCS Baxter lead a presentation into the present direction the investigation is taking, an event which received a mixed response from the relatives. Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan perished in the attack, said that he was pleased the enquiry had received a fresh start, but Kevin Skelton, whose wife Philomena was killed in the bombing, said he would only have faith in the investigation once the perpetrators were convicted.

The Omagh investigation has come under heavy criticism in recent months, with many challenges being made as to the accuracy of the police's formal response to the Police Ombudsman's report on the handling of the incident. It is thought the question of who had command of the investigation is at the core of the dispute. (CL)