Garda supported extortion calls to McBrearty cousin

Cormac O’Keeffe

Superiors of the officer, Garda John O’Dowd, tried to cover up the scandal once it emerged and came under internal garda investigation, the report said.

Phone calls to the home of Michael Peoples and his wife, Charlotte, began on November 9, 1996, almost a month after Mr Barron’s death.

The report said Garda O’Dowd “approved and supported” the calls, including one made from his own home, by his informer, William Doherty, in a bid to entrap Michael Peoples and, later, as part of a conspiracy against Frank McBrearty Jnr and his cousin Mark McConnell.

Mr Justice Frederick Morris said that when Garda O’Dowd realised the telephone call from his home could be traced, he “caused internal garda documents to be fraudulently altered in conspiracy with Garda Philip Collins.”

When Garda O’Dowd informed his boss, Supt Kevin Lennon, he was advised on a strategy of “stonewalling and lying.”

The report said this strategy would have worked only for the success of private investigators in illegally obtaining telephone records.

Justice Morris said Supt Lennon dumped responsibility for investigating the phone calls on Det Insp John McGinley, who was already tying to cope with the collapse of the Noel McBride statements against Mr McBrearty Jnr and Mr McConnell.

In June 1997, Garda O’Dowd and Supt Lennon revealed to Chief Supt Denis Fitzpatrick about the call.

“For reasons probably connected with the good name of the gardaí in Donegal, Chief Supt Fitzpatrick authorised a cover-up,” the report said.

It said an internal investigation by Det Sgt Sylvester Henry was manipulated by Supt Lennon.

The report vindicated both Det Sgt Henry and Det Insp John McGinley in relation to the matter.