Morris Tribunal: A Donegal woman has told the tribunal how she was compared to Veronica Guerin's killers and made to swear on what she believed was a bible when she was arrested in December 1996 during the Garda investigation into the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron.
Edel Quinn is a sister of Katrina Brolly, who last month gave evidence of her mistreatment in Garda custody.
Ms Quinn said that before her arrest, she had heard "rumours" that gardaí were focused on her brother-in law Mark McConnell and his cousin, Frank McBrearty jnr.
She was worried about how it might affect her sister, Róisín McConnell, if her husband was arrested. Ms Quinn said that in Garda custody in Lifford station she was told her sister had confessed in Letterkenny, that she would spend 14 years in prison, and was made to swear on a bible that she knew nothing about Richie Barron's death, and was asked if she had gone to confession.
"They must have thought whatever guilt I had, I passed it on to the priest," Ms Quinn said.
Ms Quinn said that after she twice swore she knew nothing, a garda turned the book over and it was a garda book, not a bible. She put her eyes to the ceiling when he did this.
She said that Garda Brendan Regan told her she looked relieved that she had not sworn on a bible.
Ms Quinn also said that in the car on the way to the Garda station, Det Pat Tague told her, "Sure you can tell me, I'll not tell anybody, as if I was a 12-year-old sitting in the back of the car."
"I just said I don't know," she said.
The gardaí have denied the allegations.
Ms Quinn was arrested when she called to her brother-in-law Mark McConnell's home early on December 4th, 1996, after being told by a friend her sister Róisín was under arrest.
The house was surrounded, and four gardaí were at the front door.
"I just was all pins and needles, I was very nervous that they had arrested Róisín."
Ms Quinn said that in custody, gardaí interrogating her "classed me as the same as the driver of the motorbike in the murder of Veronica Guerin".
After her release, Ms Quinn went to a solicitor and complained about her treatment in Garda custody.