Morris tribunal:A retired garda has told the Morris tribunal he had no agenda in taking three statements during the investigation into the death of hit-and-run victim Richie Barron, other than perhaps to earn some extra overtime to support his family.
The tribunal is currently looking at the arrest and detention of Frank McBrearty snr, who was arrested on suspicion of intimidating witnesses on December 5th, 1996.
Retired garda John V Doherty took three statements from Bridget Kelly, Caroline Lynch and Aileen Campbell in November 1996.
"This formed part of what we are loosely calling the intimidation investigation," tribunal barrister Anthony Barr said.
"There wasn't really an intimidation investigation. We got job lots in the morning of people to contact, and we went out and took statements," Mr Doherty told the tribunal.
Mr Doherty, who was based in Milford at the time, said he was called in to assist with the investigation because of an overflow of work. He said he was not aware of the details of the larger investigation into Barron's death.
"It had nothing to do with me, other than to take a few statements, get a few overtimes, get home."
Mr Doherty said he had not prompted or added the word "intimidation" to any statements he had taken. "I'm not in the habit of putting things in," he told the inquiry.
"I didn't go out there with an agenda to find people to say the word 'intimidated'."
He said he did not know how the Garda incident room in Letterkenny found out about approaches made by Mr McBrearty snr to the three people he spoke to, and assumed that someone might have mentioned the incidents to a garda, who in turn passed it to the incident room.
Mr Doherty said he had no agenda other than to take advantage of the extra income the assignments offered.
"I was delighted, I have six children . . . And that was the only agenda, is treat my family and three foster children that I had at the time in my home. I had no agenda other than to put bread on the table."
The tribunal will resume the investigation into the complaints of Frank McBrearty jnr on Monday.
He walked out of the tribunal earlier this week.