Witness ‘a cunning and pathological liar’

CRUCIAL Morris tribunal witness Adrienne McGlinchey was called a cunning and pathological liar yesterday and accused of inventing much of her evidence.

During the opening stages of an anticipated marathon cross-examination, the 39-year-old Donegal woman was also asked by the judge heading the garda corruption probe in Dublin: "Are you a Walter Mitty character? Are you inclined to shoot people a line?"

Former High Court President Mr Justice Frederick Morris asked Ms McGlinchey: "Were you trying to impress the guards?"

Ms McGlinchey was appearing as a witness for a ninth day at the tribunal established to investigate alleged improper garda activities in Co Donegal during the 1990s.

She has repeatedly denied claims she was in the IRA or passed on information about that organisation to gardaí. But she has maintained that together with two garda figures at the centre of the inquiry detective Noel McMahon and currently-suspended Garda Superintendent Kevin Lennon she prepared explosives that were later planted and then formed part of bogus finds of terrorist hauls designed to boost the careers of the officers involved. Both men have rejected the claims.

Ms McGlinchey has also said she got involved in those and other activities because she was being blackmailed by Det Gda McMahon, firstly over her fraudulent use of cheques and later over bullets that carried her fingerprints.

The liar claim was made yesterday, when Brian Murphy, the barrister representing Det Gda McMahon, asked about references Ms McGlinchey made at the tribunal to Pierce Devine.

Earlier Ms McGlinchey said Pierce Devine had helped her carry bags of fertiliser into a shed at her home in Letterkenny where they were ground down for use as explosives.

Mr Murphy said Pierce Devine had denied that claim in a statement, where he also commented about Ms McGlinchey: "I think she is a cunning liar. I have seen her referred to as a pathological liar."