Gardaí who misled Morris Tribunal still serving in the force

THREE gardaí who failed to tell the truth to the tribunal investigating garda corruption in Co Donegal are still serving in the force, it emerged over the weekend.

Two of the officers were severely criticised in the interim report of the Morris Tribunal, while a third was reprimanded for not revealing the full truth to the inquiry.

Gardaí confirmed to the Village magazine this weekend that the three gardaí, Sergeant Michael Murray, Garda Martin Leonard and Detective Garda Martin Anderson, are still serving in the gardaí despite the inquiry’s findings.

In his interim report, Mr Justice Frederick Morris said Sgt Murray was neither “truthful” nor “conscientious” and that Gda Leonard gave evidence “in an effort to mislead the tribunal”.

He said that Det Gda Anderson failed to tell the “unbridled truth” to the tribunal.

Mr Justice Morris rejected Sgt Morris’s evidence in relation to an explosives find in the flat of alleged IRA informer Adrienne McGlinchy in Buncrana, Co Donegal, on March 14, 1994.

The Justice found that Sgt Murray, along with other named gardaí now no longer serving, “withheld vital information in relation to the search from the tribunal”.

He found that the sergeant and other gardaí involved conveyed information concerning the search that “was calculated to deceive other members of An Garda Síochána”.

The interim report ruled that Gda Leonard, along with Garda Noel McMahon, who has been dismissed from the force, “conspired” to frustrate “the legitimate inquiries conducted by the Carty investigation team”, which was the initial garda inquiry into Donegal allegations.

It found that Gda Leonard “completely abused his position” as a garda and acted in a manner completely at variance with the interests of the Garda Representative Association.

Referring to the Carty investigation, Gda Leonard told the tribunal that regarding such internal investigations it was the nature of gardaí not to name names.

“We are not going to be hanging our people,” he said.

Justice Morris said it was “unsupportable” that this ethic should be allowed to stymie garda investigations.

Regarding Det Gda Anderson, the tribunal found that he, along with other gardaí now no longer serving, failed to tell the “unbridled truth” regarding alleged explosives finds in Oatfield and Covehill in Donegal.