A Co Louth farmer, Mr Thomas Murphy, was not entitled to one penny in damages from his High Court action alleging he was libelled in a Sunday Times article, former IRA killer turned informer Mr Sean O'Callaghan said yesterday.
Mr O'Callaghan said Mr Murphy - whom he has alleged was present at meetings of the IRA's GHQ staff and revolutionary council in 1983 and 1985 - does not feature in his forthcoming autobiography about his life with the IRA and as a police informer.
Re-examined by Mr Paul Gallagher SC, for the Sunday Times, on the third day of Mr Murphy's libel action against the newspaper, Mr O'Callaghan said the suggestion that he had told a series of lies to the court was not correct.
He agreed with Mr Gallagher that he had explained and given evidence of his involvement in the IRA. He said his evidence was correct and truthful. His evidence about meetings with Thomas Murphy was also correct. Mr Gallagher said it had been pointed out that in a statement in September 1996 Mr O'Callaghan had been incorrect about a particular meeting with Mr Murphy. Mr O'Callaghan said the location of the meeting he had given to the jury was correct. He had mentioned two other meetings at which he had met Mr Murphy, and what he had said was correct.
Asked about two IRA GHQ meetings which Mr O'Callaghan has alleged were attended by Mr Murphy, Mr O'Callaghan said that to the best of his knowledge Mr Murphy did not play a very active role at them in comparison to other people. He recollected Mr Murphy was supposed to be at other meetings but did not show.
Mr Gallagher asked why he had felt so strongly about the murder of Mr Sean Corcoran and the circumstances of it that he had lied about his involvement in it. Mr O'Callaghan said he believed Mr Corcoran's life could have been saved, and for 18 months he had tried his best to ensure that.
After Mr Corcoran's murder he never understood completely what had happened. When he made a statement to the RUC in which he admitted the murder he had wanted to find out precisely how Mr Corcoran had come to be murdered. He had known Mr Corcoran for 18 months and had a reasonable amount of dealings with him. He had come to an "instinctive worry" about him within minutes of meeting him the first time.
It was difficult to say whether the investigation now taking place into Mr Corcoran's death would have occurred had it not been for the statements he had made. On balance, he would say his statements and the publicity attached were a major factor in pushing the investigation.
Asked about his refusal to participate in a programme on RTE's Today with Pat Kenny about the murder of Mr Corcoran, Mr O'Callaghan said he did not believe a radio show with Mrs Corcoran could have resolved anything. He envisaged a private meeting with her.
Mr O'Callaghan said that since he left prison he had written four or five articles for the Sunday Times. He had signed a one-year contract with that newspaper but then thought further about it. He was very ill at the time of signing the contract and had asked if it would release him from it and it did. He had no contract now. There was no restriction on the content of the articles he wrote.
He said he had never told lies to any court where he had appeared in connection with IRA activities.
Mr O'Callaghan said it was not correct to suggest the success of his forthcoming book was dependent on his pushing his story in court. His publishers' legal advice was against his coming to court.
Mr O'Callaghan said his book was now ready to be published. Mr Murphy did not appear in it. He said he had been asked by Sunday Times journalist Liam Clarke if he would be prepared to give evidence involving Mr Murphy. He did not believe that in these matters Mr Murphy was entitled to one penny from any court or from anybody.
Mr Gallagher asked Mr O'Callaghan about his motivation for giving evidence alleging Mr Murphy's involvement in the IRA. Mr O'Callaghan said he came because he knew Mr Murphy to be a member of the IRA on the dates of the meetings and to be a senior member. He had come to court to give evidence to that effect. Retired Garda Det Insp Dan Prenty was then called to the witness-box. He outlined his career and said he had been stationed in Dundalk for some years.
The area where Mr Murphy lived was covered by Dundalk district. He had had contact with Mr Murphy while in Dundalk.
The jury were sent to their room while legal submissions began in their absence. At 3.30 p.m. Mrs Justice McGuinness recalled the jury, and said she had heard legal argument on various issues and was required to make a ruling on it. She asked the jury to return to court this morning, when the hearing is expected to resume before them.
