The trial of Mr Colm Murphy, the only person charged in connection with the Omagh bomb, was dramatically halted at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday due to the hospitalisation of one of the three judges hearing the case.
When the hearing resumed yesterday morning, Mr Justice Barr, presiding at the non-jury court, told the prosecution and defence legal teams that there was a "difficulty" in continuing with the trial.
The judge said that Judge Mary O'Halloran had been taken ill and was in hospital. "There is no prospect of continuing the trial for the time being," he added.
Mr Justice Barr said the court would adjourn the trial until the first day of the next law term in January 2002 "to ensure that she has had sufficient time to make a good recovery". Judge O'Halloran is the first woman judge appointed to the panel of the Special Criminal Court.
Mr Peter Charleton SC, prosecuting, wished the judge a "speedy recovery" and his comments were shared by defence counsel Mr Michael O'Higgins SC.
Mr Justice Barr said that in January the court, would continue hearing the final defence submissions in the case and would then have to consider its judgment "over a period of several days."
Mr O'Higgins began his closing submissions on Friday after Mr Tom O'Connell SC had summed up for the State.
It was the 23rd day of the trial of Mr Colm Murphy (49), a father of four, a building contractor, publican and a native of Co Armagh with an address at Jordan's Corner, Ravensdale, Co Louth, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiring in Dundalk with another person, not before the court, to cause an explosion in the State or elsewhere between August 13th and 16th, 1998.
The prosecution is alleging that Mr Murphy lent his mobile phone and another mobile phone he obtained from an innocent party to the people who planted the Omagh bomb.
Earlier in the trial, Det Garda James B. Hanley told the court that Mr Murphy had admitted in interviews that he lent his mobile phone to known republicans, knowing it would be used for moving bombs. He was remanded on continuing bail of £100,000 until January 11th next year.