Morris Tribunal: A former garda has told the tribunal he was afraid of the Carty team when they arrived in Donegal to investigate complaints against local gardaí.
The internal Garda inquiry was sent to Donegal to investigate complaints by members of the McBrearty family, who were identified as suspects following the death of local cattle dealer Mr Richie Barron.
"I was afraid of what they would do to me," said Mr John O'Dowd. "I felt that's the way the guards operate; blame somebody at the bottom of the line."
Mr O'Dowd said this was why he did not tell the investigators about a phone call made from his home by his informer, making hoax blackmail threats to a man suspected of involvement in Mr Barron's death.
"They were also investigating these phone calls, and I couldn't tell them about that; they would have nailed me with it. I was out there in Raphoe that night. It seemed to be focused on me. I felt that.
"I believe they were down here to get a few heads, and go back and say the statement from Frank McBrearty was all right. And I never believed the statement of Frank McBrearty was all right at that stage."
Mr McBrearty has denied he made a statement of admission when arrested in December 1996.
"I know the way the guards operate. They pick somebody up, and throw as much muck on them as they can. It's been done to me, chairman. You have [ Sgt] Marty Moylan here saying stuff that I allegedly said that I didn't say, and I know I didn't say."
Mr O'Dowd said in November 1996 he was directed by Sgt Martin Moylan and Insp (now Supt) John McGinley to arrest a potential witness, Mr Noel McBride, on charges relating to the theft of an aerial, allowing gardaí to question him.
"You have John McGinley coming in and saying here 'I wasn't there in the interview room with McBride', and yet McGinley was associated with this Carty team, and he had the ear of the commissioner at the time as well, you know. I'm only a small minnow here against a huge organisation, and I lost my job over this."
Mr O'Dowd said he and another dismissed garda, Mr Pádraig Mulligan, who was on duty the night Mr Barron died, had gone to a pub for a drink.