Two gardaí have dramatically changed their evidence and admitted mistreatment of suspects, which could have a significant effect on the tribunal. Christine Newman reports.
The whistle-blower John Dooley is a quietly-spoken man who, by his own admission, has been haunted by his false statements over nearly 10 years.
At present, he is a man on sick leave, recovering from a severe bout of depression, but with a sense of relief that now the burden has been lifted.
The 48-year-old Dooley is determined to take responsibility for the wrongdoing and the decision not to tell the truth.
Throughout his evidence, he used the word "responsibility" often and became emotional when apologising to the two women who were mistreated and abused, Katrina Brolly and Róisín McConnell.
Dooley admitted that he was well in denial after he made the first false statement to the Garda complaints board. This was followed by false statements to the Garda internal investigation and to the tribunal. He made the statement admitting that the allegations of mistreatment were true, and that his previous statements were untrue, to the tribunal last October. These were only made public at a tribunal hearing last week.
The volte-face received much publicity and was followed last Saturday by a faxed statement from John White, detective sergeant, who also took part in the interviews. He, too, said that he was changing his original statements and was admitting mistreatment of the two women.
This module of the tribunal is looking into the allegations of mistreatment of 12 people who were interviewed in connection with the death of cattle-dealer Richie Barron.
Revelations such as this will have enormous significance for the evidence the tribunal is about to hear in this module and can only assist its inquiries.
For two gardaí at the centre of allegations of abuse and mistreatment of suspects to admit to the main thrust of the claims is a sensational turn of events.
Dooley has admitted that the two women were shown gruesome postmortem photographs of Barron, were called lying bastard and bitch, that gardaí used crude language, threatened to take children away, made allegations about infidelity and threatened with 14 and seven years' jail.
White admits using abusive, excessive and inappropriate language during the interrogation. He acknowledges that the spirit and letter of the Garda custody regulations were breached, accepts that his conduct fell far below any acceptable level and has agreed with many of the allegations.
Although White received most publicity for his about-turn, it is Dooley who has effectively made the more dramatic statement.
He has admitted for the first time that the allegations were correct and has regretted that he did not have the courage to tell the truth at the outset.
That in itself takes courage, but what is significant is the reaction to his statement.
He said that his family had received support and he had received phone calls from colleagues and friends telling him he had done the right thing.
For the garda, who was born in Kilconnell, Co Galway, it has been a long road. He joined the force in 1978 and spent most of his working life in Co Donegal.
In 1994, he joined the detective branch, and he stayed in this until 2001 when, by choice, he returned to clerical duties in Glenties.
The impact of his statement could be far-reaching not only for this module but for the whole tribunal. The positive response Dooley has received might encourage more whistle-blowers to come forward.