Ex-garda tells tribunal of threat suspicions

A FORMER Sligo garda said yesterday he was suspicious a senior officer was involved in the “setting up” of a false death threat claim following the arrest of the man who had made the allegations.

Bernard Conlon was arrested in January 2000 in connection with his false claims that two members of the extended McBrearty family, Mark McConnell and Michael Peoples, threatened him with a silver bullet.

Retired garda John Nicholson told the Morris Tribunal into garda corruption in Donegal he believed Detective Sergeant John White was involved in the false allegation.

Mr Nicholson said he was contacted by Superintendent Kevin Lennon and Det Sgt White following Mr Conlon’s arrest.

During phone calls from Det Sgt White, Mr Nicholson said he was asked what was going on and was instructed to go and see Mr Conlon.

At a short meeting on January 31 with Supt Lennon at the Sligo Park Hotel, Mr Nicholson said the superintendent was “most anxious” about the arrest and had said Mr Conlon was “tight” and “wouldn’t crack”.

“He looked very much under pressure that day and he told me he had been through nine months of hell,” he said.

“He was very anxious to know what I knew about Bernard Conlon.”

He told the tribunal the superintendent asked him if Mr Conlon would talk and who was questioning him.

Mr Nicholson said that after the meeting: “I was suspicious it was made up by Bernard Conlon”, and that “Sgt White or Supt Lennon must have some knowledge of it”.

Asked by Paul McDermott, senior counsel for the tribunal, whether he suspected a relationship between Conlon, White and Lennon with regard to the setting up of the allegations, he said: “Not in relation to Supt Lennon, but yes in relation to Sgt White.”

He was asked by the chairman, Judge Frederick Morris, if there were any circumstances in which a superintendent would ask him about Mr Conlon as an “innocent inquiry”.

“An innocent superintendent wouldn’t ask me these questions at the Sligo Park Hotel, without him having knowledge of what was going on - he must have some knowledge of these threats being made against Mr Conlon, that they were false,” he replied.

He said he had cut off all contact with Det Sgt White on February 1, 2000, following a meeting with Chief Supt Austin McNally, after which he realised how serious the matter was.

Mr Nicholson said he was then told by Inspector Gerard Connolly in March or April 2000 that he had heard from someone in Dublin that the death threats were false and had been arranged by someone.

“He didn’t go into any detail about it but I believe myself, totally believed, that it was Sgt White.”

“He was the man that had all the dealings with me in relation to Mr Conlon, all the contacting and inquiring about being arrested and could I find out what happened,” he said.