THE JUDGE in charge of the multi-million pound Omagh bomb compensation case said yesterday he would prevent hearings from becoming cloaked in secrecy.
Mr Justice Morgan urged both sides in the landmark civil action at the High Court in Belfast to ensure proceedings remain as open as possible.
His call came as lawyers for victims' relatives revealed plans to take evidence from more gardaí. The relatives are suing five men they blame for the Real IRA atrocity which claimed 29 lives.
So far, 23 Garda witnesses are due to appear when the trial moves to Dublin next month.
Brett Lockhart QC, for the families, told the court that an application would be made to hear from more officers. It is understood another six gardaí and further civilian witnesses have been identified.
Day four of the case against convicted Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt, Séamus McKenna, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Séamus Daly centred on the experts due to give evidence about mobile phones allegedly used by the bomb team before and after the explosives were driven into Omagh on August 15th, 1998.
After discussions on what testimonies and statements could be heard in court or simply read by the judge in the non-jury action, Mr Justice Morgan stressed that as much as possible should be delivered openly.
He said: "This is a public trial and we have to be careful not to turn it into a private trial."
At one stage Brian Fee QC, for McKenna, told the court it may be weeks before the expert brought in by his client and Daly and Murphy could be fully prepared for all the telephone evidence in the case.
But Lord Brennan QC, who is heading the victims' legal team, vowed to "vigorously resist" taking so long to prepare a report.
The court heard that the expert originally brought in by the defendants had suffered a heart attack.
Later, further statements were read from some of those who saw the maroon Vauxhall Cavalier packed with a 500lb bomb as it was driven in by two men and parked on Market Street in the centre of Omagh.
Darren Grey, the assistant manager of a nearby jeweller's store, said of one of them: "He looked to me to be closing it either very gently or locking it with the door handle upwards."
Mr Gray, who was later evacuated in the bomb warning, also recalled how he was flung to the ground by the blast, along with friends and colleagues.