The wife of a Donegal publican wrongly arrested for a murder that never happened told the tribunal that her husband's health had deteriorated because of his ordeal.
Donegal publican Frank McBrearty jnr was arrested on December 4th, 1996, during a Garda investigation into the death of hit-and-run victim Richie Barron (54).
Mr McBrearty was arrested again on February 4th, 1997, and in April 1997 an alleged confession was published in a High Court affidavit in response to a case brought by Frank McBrearty snr complaining of Garda harassment.
The family found out about the affidavit when a private investigator, Billy Flynn, told them.
"Frank's face just went white, as they say, the blood rushed completely out," Patricia McBrearty said.
"It was just complete shock after that." Ms McBrearty said her husband's health deteriorated.
She said her husband denied making any confession until handwriting experts gave evidence at the tribunal before Christmas, and that a few weeks ago he said to her, "What if I was tricked? Maybe I was tricked."
Ms McBrearty said she never accused Garda Tina Fowley of dragging her out of a car, as the garda had said at the tribunal, and her children "got quite a bit of stick about it at school" after the allegation was broadcast on local and national radio.
"I haven't made any wild accusations against any members of gardaí here," she said.
In a prepared statement, Ms McBrearty said that lives were "shattered and destroyed" as a result of what had happened.
She said her husband's health had again deteriorated as a result of having to attend the tribunal, he was "angry and upset", and he could not face being in the same room as the four Dublin detectives who questioned him when he was arrested in December 1996.
Ms McBrearty said her husband could not cross-examine the gardaí himself, could not afford legal representation, and the whole truth had not come out.
"Just in case anybody has forgotten, we are the victims here," she concluded.
Ms McBrearty said her husband had told her he was hit, slapped, poked and shown postmortem photographs while in Garda custody.