A Co Donegal man alleged yesterday a detective sergeant punched him in the chest and private parts, cut his eye and ear and spat in his mouth while he was under interrogation.
Seán Crossan (57), Raphoe, claimed that Det Sgt John White assaulted him and also threatened to take away his six children if he did not withdraw a statement.
Mr Crossan was one of 12 people arrested in connection with the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron. Gardaí believed he was murdered but the tribunal has since found he was a hit- and-run victim.
Gardaí also believed Frank McBrearty jnr and Mark McConnell were suspects in the death in October 1996 and were in the car park in Raphoe immediately afterwards.
Mr Crossan was an electrician who also worked as a doorman at Frankie's nightclub owned by the McBreartys which is next to the car park. Mr Crossan was asked to make a statement to gardaí about anything that was happening there that night. He later remembered he saw three young men there and told gardaí.
He was arrested on December 11th 1996 and detained at Letterkenny Garda station for 12 hours. He was released without charge.
He said gardaí wanted him to withdraw his statement about the three men and make a new one saying that Frank McBrearty snr gave him £500 to keep quiet about the car park and that he had seen Mr McBrearty jnr and Mr McConnell there that night with blood on them.
Yesterday Mr Crossan said Det Sgt White threatened to take his car away and to get in touch with social workers about his children.
"He threatened to take my children away the next day and I withdrew the statement under pressure," Mr Crossan said.
However, he said that they could not make him sign the statement about the McBreartys. "I wasn't going to tell lies for nobody." He said Det Sgt White pushed him around the room on a chair that had wheels.
"It was getting a wee bit scary and Sgt White abused me. He hooked his thumb into my eye and twisted it and cut me with his nail on top of my eye, it was bleeding, and he did the same thing with my ear and he spit into my mouth," he said.
"He punched me in the chest, a very hard punch, with his fist rolled up, he was very angry. It did cause pain. He did the same thing to my privates. He said I was a menace to society and should do something about it."
Mr Crossan said he asked for a doctor four times.
In another interview, Det Sgt Sylvester Henry threatened that he would get 10 years for perjury and showed him postmortem pictures of Mr Barron, he said.
He went to a solicitor the next day to show him his cut and told him what happened. He also went to his doctor.
John Whelan SC, for Det Sgt White, said his client denied absolutely all the allegations.