Former detective John White has told the Morris tribunal that his allegations that confidential conversations with prisoners in Letterkenny Garda station were bugged are the truth and that he went public because he believed that the investigation into his claims was going nowhere.
"I would not invent a long story like that that could be discounted," he said. The former sergeant claims he met Sgt Joe Costelloe, an audio-video specialist, in Letterkenny on December 4th, 1996, and spoke to him about bugging suspects. And he says that on the same day he saw Insp John McGinley listening to a tape of a conversation with a solicitor.
The officers deny any knowledge of, or involvement in, the secret recording of prisoners in custody, which Mr White says occurred on the day the six people, including cousins Frank McBrearty jnr and Mark McConnell, were arrested during the inquiry into the death of cattle-dealer Richie Barron.
Mr White said he later had a meeting with Chief Supt Austin McNally and told him an alleged confession made by Mr McBrearty jnr could not be relied on and was false, and that the Garda station was bugged.
He said Mr McNally, a member of Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty's team, said "Jesus Christ, don't say that" when he was told about concerns over Mr McBrearty jnr's statement.
"I think it would be an unbelievable thing to invent all of this and put it into a meeting. It wouldn't be a sensible thing to do," Mr White said. "There certainly was nothing in it for me in making up false allegations against Kevin Carty, Austin McNally and the rest of them."
Mr White said he knew in making the allegations he would be "targeted", but he wasn't going to tolerate lies about it, although it meant he was in conflict with the Carty team, the Garda Commissioner and the Government.