FRANK McBREARTY Jnr, the publican framed for a murder that never was, yesterday applied for the taxpayer to foot his family’s massive legal bill.

A senior garda in charge of the botched investigation into the death of a cattle dealer today defended his decision to release then murder suspect Frank McBrearty Jnr despite an alleged confession.

A Garda informer who alleged three gardaí were involved in various activities designed to harass the McBrearty family was completely unreliable, a former detective today told the Morris Tribunal.

It was a mistake not to preserve the scene of cattle dealer Riche Barron’s death, a garda admitted at the Morris Tribunal today.