A Donegal superintendent has said it was "a complete lie" that he instructed a Garda to bring in a potential witness for questioning during the investigation into the death of Raphoe cattle dealer Mr Richie Barron. Gerard Cunningham reports.
Supt John McGinley was responding to an contention by Mr Tom Creed SC, representing Garda John O'Dowd, that the senior officer instructed him to "bring in" Mr Noel McBride for questioning "after dark" on November 29th, 1996, six weeks after Mr Barron died.
Mr McBride made a "lynchpin" statement on this date which led to the arrests of several members of the McBrearty family. Mr McBride later withdrew his statement. Complaints of Garda harassment by the McBrearty family led to the setting up of the Morris tribunal.
Mr Creed said the arrest of Mr McBride was organised by Supt (then Insp) McGinley and Sgt Martin Moylan.
"All lies, chairman, absolutely no truth whatsoever," said Supt McGinley. He said he did not know Mr McBride's name until Garda O'Dowd phoned him on November 29th.
"He never at any time had a discussion with me or with Sgt Moylan and myself on this matter," Supt McGinley said. "At no stage was I a party to this man being arrested."
Supt McGinley said that Garda O'Dowd had phoned him the night Mr McBride was arrested to tell him they had a man in the station who was going to make a statement about the Barron case. "I don't recall ever receiving any other call from him," he said.
Mr Creed said he would produce evidence from Garda O'Dowd's phone records to show that on November 26th, two days before Mr McBride's arrest, Garda O'Dowd phoned him for three minutes.
Mr Pat Marrinan SC, for the Garda Commissioner, said it was "unfair" the witness was being "ambushed" by this information. Supt McGinley said he had no recollection of Garda O'Dowd phoning him.
Supt McGinley said that when he arranged with Garda O'Dowd to meet Mr McBride in May 1997 to check his story, "I didn't know Mr Doherty was going to be present until I arrived in Garda O'Dowd's house". Mr William Doherty was an informer working for Garda O'Dowd.