Garda didn’t think forgery was ‘a big sin’

A GARDA who was prosecuted for obtaining false loss of earning certificates for a witness in a prosecution against the McBreartys did not consider it a big sin when he did it, a solicitor said yesterday.

Retired garda John Nicholson has admitted to passing on three or four false vouchers relating to Bernard Conlon, to ensure he gave evidence in a licensing case against the McBreartys in 1998.

In spring 2000, when he had been questioned by the Carty internal garda investigation team, he visited solicitor Kevin Kilrane to seek legal advice.

The solicitor said Mr Nicholson gave the impression he had obtained a certificate from another garda, but had not mentioned any names.

Mr Kilrane described Mr Nicholson as a decent and honest man who indicated a degree of naivety, which might allow him to be manipulated.

But despite being investigated by the Carty team for the false claims, the garda did not blame anyone else during the meeting with the solicitor and was prepared to resign, Mr Kilrane said.

Asked by Des Dockery, counsel for Mr Conlon, if Mr Nicholson gave the impression that it was a relatively commonplace practice to procure forgeries, Mr Kilrane said he wouldn’t go that far.

But he said: “To the extent that he didn’t consider it any form of big sin when it happened, one can draw whatever conclusion one can draw from that.”

It was only later the garda understood the gravity of what he had done, Mr Kilrane said.