A mother-of-six broke down in tears as she told how physical abuse her husband claims he suffered in custody left them both fighting depression.
Sean and Anne Crossan, who have been married for 25 years, were prescribed antidepressants following his detention in a Donegal Garda Station.
Mrs Crossan told the Morris tribunal the ordeal affected their family life and left their home town divided.
The 57-year-old electrician was arrested during an investigation in to the death of hit-and-run victim Mr Barron, who gardaí wrongly believed had been murdered.
A part-time doorman at McBrearty's nightclub, gardaí wanted Mr Crossan to admit seeing prime suspects Frank McBrearty Jnr and Mark McConnell in the club car park covered in blood shortly after the alleged attack.
"I heard people had been treated very badly in custody," said Mrs Crossan. "I felt terrible. I didn't know what to do.
"He had been roared and shouted at he told me. He was crying. He was very upset. I just wanted to get Sean out and work it out from there.
"He told me 'when that big boy there - pointing to a man who passed the door - comes in now they say that's when I'm going to get it'," she added.
Mrs Crossan, who identified the man as Det Sgt John White, told how on a second visit her husband was more upset and had a cut above his right eye.
He claims Det Sgt White had spat in his mouth, poked him in the eye and ear, and punched him in the chest and genitals during his 12-hour detention in Letterkenny Garda Station in December 1996.
Gardai are also accused of threatening to have their young children lifted by social services, showing graphic autopsy images, shouting and swearing at him, and warning unless he changed his statement he'd serve 10 years in jail for perjury and have his car and dole confiscated.
Describing how her family life later deteriorated, Mrs Crossan told how they were both prescribed antidepressants and separated temporarily.
PA