Morris tribunal: A Donegal garda yesterday apologised to the tribunal and said he deeply regretted that he had failed to tell the truth at an earlier hearing about forging interview notes.
Det Garda John Harkin admitted that he had altered interview notes and said it was at the instigation of a detective inspector.
The interviews related to the arrest and detention of Roisin McConnell at Letterkenny Garda station in 1996. Mrs McConnell was one of 12 people wrongfully arrested in connection with the death of cattle-dealer Richie Barron.
Last July, in the witness-box, Det Garda Harkin failed to tell the tribunal of his involvement with the interview notes. Afterwards, he was troubled and reconsidered his position. He then made a further statement to the tribunal investigators.
This week he returned to the witness-box and said he had changed the interview notes at the instigation of the then Det Insp John McGinley, directly, and also through the agency of Sgt Brian McEntee.
Yesterday, he apologised to Mrs McConnell and to the tribunal. "I would like to apologise to Mrs McConnell for my performance here in July," he said.
He said that Mrs McConnell did not get the truth in relation to this matter. "All I can do is assure you that that is the truth and express my regret to you [ Mrs McConnell], and I want to express my regret to the chairman at my performance here and at my failure to disclose documents and to tell the truth about this at an earlier juncture," he said.
"I want to thank you for the opportunity of being able to come back here to try and set the record straight insofar as I can and apologise to the respective legal teams, who I also led up the garden path in relation to this. I hope they can understand what gave rise to my performance. It's something I'm ashamed of and deeply regret," Det Garda Harkin said.
Earlier, he said that in August 1997 he had prepared and submitted his statement regarding the interview. Then, in October 1997, he had a conversation with Det Insp McGinley that was quite casual.
Det Insp McGinley told him that somebody said they were a bit hard on Mrs McConnell in the interview. Det Garda Harkin told him he still had the original note of it. Det Insp McGinley responded that he would take a look at it. Some weeks later, he said, he was phoned at about midnight by Det Garda McEntee, now sergeant, who was the clerk in the superintendent's office. Sgt McEntee outlined one or two questions which were regarded as offensive.
Det Garda Harkin said he took it that Sgt McEntee was acting as Det Insp McGinley's agent. He took it that he was to delete certain questions and amend the statement, he said.
He then amended the typed text on the word processor. He rewrote the memo of interview and destroyed the original, he said. He added that he could not understand why Insp McGinley wanted the questions removed.