A 20-year-old student who was murdered in the Omagh bomb received her A-Level results on the day of her funeral, the inquiry into the atrocity has heard.
Debra-Anne Cartwright had been working in a beauty salon in the town on the day of the blast and had been evacuated onto Market Street when the bomb exploded.
A total of 29 people, including a mother carrying unborn twin girls, died when the Real IRA exploded the 500lb bomb on August 15 1998.
As the inquiry resumed on Thursday, solicitor John Rafferty read out a statement on behalf of the Cartwright family.
“Debra-Anne was a former pupil of Omagh High School,” he said.
“She was awaiting her A-Level results to see if she had been successful in getting a place in a textile design course at Manchester University.
“Her results, which arrived on the day of her funeral, confirmed that she had been successful.
“Debra-Anne would have been due to start her textile design degree in Manchester in September 1998, just one month later.
“She had been involved in cross-community work when she was at school and had been to Denmark as part of a student exchange.
“On August 15 1998, Debra-Anne had been working in a beauty salon. She had evacuated the premises due to the bomb warning and had walked down to Market Street when the bomb detonated.
“She was cremated at Roselawn Cemetery in Belfast following a service at St Columba’s Church in Omagh.
“At her funeral, she was described as being full of life and energy.”
A slideshow containing pictures of Debra-Anne was played to the inquiry.
It prompted Lord Alan Turnbull, who is chairing proceedings, to note that the events of that day resulted in a “cruel denial” of her future.
He said the inquiry had already heard evidence on a number of other young people killed in the atrocity.
“All of these were children or young people whose lives were taken from them before they had any chance to grow and live as adults and to experience any of the joys and tribulations of a full and independent life,” LordTurnbull added.
“In Debra-Anne’s case, it further compounds the cruel denial of her future that on the day of her funeral she received confirmation of the exam results which would have taken her to university and opened a whole new world of opportunity for her.
“I am very grateful to have learned of her life and I would like to thank her family for their kind assistance.”