Garda denies lying to tribunal to protect reputation of the force

A SENIOR Garda officer yesterday denied telling a "pack of lies" to the Morris Tribunal into garda corruption to protect the reputation of the force.

Superintendent Joseph Shelley said he had no agenda other than to tell the truth about the Garda investigation into the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron in Donegal in 1996.

"I have tried to put on the record from my memory as best I can what the circumstances were. And that's all I can do."

However, Brian Murphy BL, representing Garda John O'Dowd, said the superintendent's evidence was "totally unreliable."

"You give your answers depending on what you think is the right thing to say. I have to put it to you that you're making up your evidence as you go along," he said.

Supt Shelley had claimed, in a statement, to be in Letterkenny Garda Station for "almost the entire day" on December 4, 1996, when Frank McBrearty Jnr and other suspects were questioned about the murder of Riche Barron.

In the statement, Supt Shelley said he had been in and out of the incident room all day. He added that no garda had told him about the allegations that Supt John McGinley had practiced the signature of Frank McBrearty on a piece of paper.

Mr Murphy said this account was "hopelessly inaccurate" because the superintendent had spent most of the day visiting the army base at Finner Camp in Donegal.

"Isn't that statement an attempt to protect your fellow officer Superintendent McGinley? You weren't there but you tried to pretend you were there.

"You invented all this detail so you could give a plausible statement to protect the force."

Supt Shelly denied this was the case.

"I had overlooked the visit to Finner, that's all. There wasn't any deliberate ploy on my behalf. It would have been very foolish," he said.

Supt Shelly said he had recalled the visit to Finner Camp after a conversation with Chief Superintendent Denis Fitzpatrick and had put it into subsequent statements.

Mr Murphy said: "When the chief told you you weren't there that day, you were rumbled. They (the statements) are a pack of lies."

Supt Shelly replied: "I gave the information as I thought it was accurate."

Mr Murphy then accused the superintendent of lying: "I have to put it to you that you have no compunction about lying to protect members of the force."

Supt Shelly: "I resent that comment. It's not warranted. It's deeply hurtful to me."

The Morris Tribunal is investigating corruption in the Donegal Garda Division in the 1990s.