A senior garda involved in the investigation into the death of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron has told the Morris tribunal he was not informed of a piece of skin allegedly found at the scene at an early stage in the inquiry. Gerard Cunningham reports.
Supt John McGinley told Mr Michael Buckley, representing Garda James McDwyer, that he was not aware of the scene-of-crime examiner finding skin.Garda McDwyer last summer told the tribunal he saw the piece of flesh on the road, and left it there. The scene-of-crime examiner, Sgt Niall Coady (a garda at the time), said he submitted a piece of hair and skin to the national forensic laboratory.
"I wasn't aware that there was any substantial piece of skin found," said Supt McGinley, when asked about a Garda meeting the day Mr Barron died. "If Garda Coady had found any substantial piece of skin or flesh I'm sure he would have averred to it."
Forensic experts told the tribunal last year that the skin sample could have helped in determining if Mr Barron died as a result of a road traffic accident.
The superintendent told the tribunal that Chief Supt Denis Fitzpatrick saying to Supt John Fitzgerald that Mr Barron was murdered was "a very strong statement". "If somebody says bluntly it's murder, it's a very strong statement to make," the superintendent said. "For somebody to say there's a rumour in a wake house. . . a totally different weight would be placed on it."
But he said Supt John Fitzgerald had not asked the chief superintendent where he got the information, and he had not asked Supt Fitzgerald.
Cross-examining Supt McGinley on his own behalf, former Supt Kevin Lennon said he had "no hand act or part in the investigation into the death of Richie Barron" in 1996.
"The only involvement that you had in that inquiry as far as I am concerned is if you had any involvement with William Doherty," Supt McGinley said. "If you were aware of the linkages between him and Noel McBride and what information they were supplying and if you knew about the telephone situation."
Noel McBride named Mr Doherty, a garda informer working for Garda John O'Dowd, as having put him up to making false statements implicating Frank McBrearty jnr and his cousin Mark McConnell in Mr Barron's death. Mr McBride withdrew all his allegations against the McBrearty family. "You're generating suspicion about me," Mr Lennon said.