Morris tribunal: Three reports from the Morris tribunal were delivered to Minister for Justice Michael McDowell yesterday morning.
Mr Justice Frederick Morris, who has already produced two reports, said the latest three reports were on the Burnfoot gun-planting and arrest module, the "silver bullet threat" module involving Bernard Conlon, and the Ardara bomb discovery and arrest module.
Under the regulations, the Minister must, within 14 days, either present the reports to the Oireachtas or apply to the High Court for directions if he feels publication may prejudice a trial.
Criminal proceedings concerning possession of a firearm are pending against the suspended detective sergeant John White in connection with the Burnfoot module. This module, held in private, inquired into an allegation by Det Garda Thomas Kilcoyne that he and Det Sgt White planted a shotgun at a Traveller encampment in Burnfoot, Donegal, in 1998 so that it could be discovered by gardaí in a subsequent search.
The Ardara module investigated the alleged planting of an explosive device on a transmission mast in late 1996 and the consequent arrest of three people.
It was claimed that a garda had constructed the device in the yard of a Garda station.
The "silver bullet" module concerned Bernard Conlon's claims that Det Sgt White asked him to be found drinking after hours in a nightclub owned by the McBrearty family. They had been accused of being involved in the death of Richie Barron but the tribunal found that he was the victim of a hit-and-run incident. Mr Conlon also claimed that Det Sgt White told him to fabricate a story that two men threatened him with a silver bullet if he gave evidence against the McBreartys.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Morris said he was frequently asked when the tribunal would finish. "The only answer I can give is the tribunal will move as fast as it is allowed to move. If the persons involved co-operate with the tribunal and provide it with full and true information, then the work of the tribunal will be very much shorter than if it has to search for the truth."
At yesterday's hearing, a detective garda denied claims that he had made a woman swear on a garda manual when she was being questioned about the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron.
Edel Quinn's brother-in-law, Mark McConnell, was wrongly suspected of being involved in Mr Barron's death. She told the tribunal that, during her interrogation by gardaí, Det Garda Brendan Regan asked her to swear on what she believed was a Bible. When the book was turned over, it was a garda manual. Yesterday Det Regan told the tribunal "that definitely did not happen".
He had been a detective for 20 years and "I've never ever asked anybody to swear on any book, on any Bible ever". He denied that Ms Quinn was told that she was as good as the killers of Veronica Guerin and that she would get 14 years in prison. "Look Mr chairman, in our interview there was nothing like that," he said.
Mr Justice Morris asked why Ms Quinn would make these claims. "I have my own opinion on it," Det Regan said but did not elaborate.
Mr Justice Morris asked why every garda giving evidence rejected all Ms Quinn's claims, however innocuous they seemed. "Why is everyone running a mile from every word that this woman says?" he said.
