A self-confessed IRA bomber saved himself years in jail yesterday by showing "genuine remorse" and pleading guilty to his crimes.
Thomas Eugene Gallen (23) was told that but for his guilty pleas he would have received a stiffer sentence.
Gallen, of Scraghy Road, Castlederg, Co Tyrone, was jailed for 12 years for a murder attempt on an UDR soldier in August 1993 and for planting a booby-trap bomb under his car.
Belfast Crown Court was told the soldier and his girlfriend had a lucky escape when part of the device fell from under the car, rendering it safe.
Gallen received concurrent terms ranging from seven to 10 years when he also admitted IRA membership, causing an explosion two months later and possessing explosives and a sub-machinegun.
