Suspended detective breaks down

A SUSPENDED detective sergeant yesterday broke down at the Morris Tribunal after he challenged the inquiry to summon his wife and mother to support an alibi.

The tribunal adjourned for five minutes to allow Det Sgt John White to compose himself.

The detective, suspended in 2001, is at the centre of garda corruption allegations by Co Sligo petty criminal Bernard Conlon.

Mr Conlon claimed Det Sgt White met him in Raphoe in August 1997 and told him to drink after-hours in a pub and later act as a prosecution witness.

But the detective yesterday claimed he was in his Ballybofey home on the night in question and challenged the tribunal to call his mother and wife as witnesses to confirm this.

“I hate the thought of putting my mother through this,” he said before breaking down.

Det Sgt White is into his second day of evidence in the current ‘Silver Bullet’ module of the inquiry into garda corruption in Co Donegal.

He earlier said the Carty internal investigation team could have checked his mobile telephone for cell-site identification at the time to verify his movement.

Det Sgt White, 50 has denied all allegations made against him by Mr Conlon.

The module title refers to a claim by Mr Conlon that Det Sgt White told him to invent a story that two members of the extended McBrearty family threatened him with a silver bullet if he gave evidence against them in an after-hours drinking case.

Det Sgt White denied he had ever tried to plant Mr Conlon as a ‘found on’ drinker in Frankie’s Pub and Nightclub in Raphoe.

He also denied he and other gardaí often referred to Mr Conlon as ‘Det Garda Conlon’ for a joke.

Det Sgt White, a native of Bansha, Co Tipperary, is set to appear at the tribunal every day until next week.