Morris tribunal: A Donegal garda has provided a statement to the Morris tribunal saying he knew an extortion phone call was made from his house by a police informer.
The call took place during the investigation into the death of Raphoe cattle dealer Mr Richie Barron.
He had told former Supt Kevin Lennon about the call within days. Former chief superintendent Denis Fitzpatrick was also informed about the call some months later.
The statement, by Garda John O'Dowd, was read into the record by tribunal barrister Mr Peter Charleton.
Garda O'Dowd said Supt Kevin Lennon advised him to make a formal statement denying all knowledge of extortion phone calls. He also advised him how to answer questions when he was interviewed by Insp John McGinley and Sgt Sylvie Henry on April 9th, 1998.
After the interview Garda O'Dowd said he prepared a statement on May 12th, 1998.
He showed this statement to Supt Kevin Lennon, who advised him to continue denying knowledge of the phone calls.
He said he went along with this because he would be scapegoated in the Barron investigation.
In his statement, Garda O'Dowd said he picked up his informer, Mr William Doherty, in his car on November 9th, 1996.
Mr Doherty told him he thought he had solved the death of Richie Barron.
Mr Doherty said he had made a series of phone calls to Mr Michael Peoples saying that he saw him coming from the scene of Mr Barron's death and that "Michael Peoples had taken the bait". Mr Doherty told Garda O'Dowd he had arranged to meet Mr Peoples at the White Cross Inn at 11 p.m. to collect money.
Mr Peoples told the tribunal last year that he was told by a garda to "play along" when he first notified gardaí about the extortion calls. He said he went to the White Cross Inn to see who the caller was, but saw nobody. Mr Peoples made a statement about the calls to gardaí the next day, and handed in a recording of one of the calls.
The tribunal has heard that Eircom records of the calls to Mr Peoples' home were erased for a time.
Garda O'Dowd said he told Mr Doherty he could use the telephone in his home to confirm the meeting at the White Cross, and he overheard part of the conversation. The garda said he left Mr Doherty home because he was concerned that what Mr Doherty was doing could be construed as extortion, and he had allowed himself to be caught up in it.
He said he was worried, and went to the Garda station, where he saw a record of a complaint from Mr Peoples about the calls. He said he went to the White Cross Inn that night, but he did not see Mr Peoples. The garda said he left because "I was in a panic at that stage".
Garda O'Dowd said he was concerned, and phoned Supt Kevin Lennon "within a few days" about the call made from his house.
Garda O'Dowd said the former superintendent advised him to change a diary entry in the Garda station of the time he clocked off work that evening to 10.30 p.m., 30 minutes after the call from his home was made.