Suspect ‘was punched and spat at’

ONE of the men arrested on suspicion of killing cattle dealer Richie Barron claims he was shown photos of the dead man’s body, was punched, poked in the eye and a senior garda spat in his face while in detention.

Mark McConnell’s claims, denied by gardaí, were made in a statement taken during an internal garda enquiry and revealed in detail in the Morris Tribunal yesterday.

The tribunal is currently hearing claims over the arrests of McConnell, Frank McBrearty Jnr and associates, by a team probing the death of Mr Barron in Donegal in October 1996.

It also emerged concerns were raised about the legality of the detention of McConnell’s wife, Roisin, on suspicion of being an accessory to murder. These concerns were voiced by certain gardaí in a briefing conference prior to the arrests of 11 people in December 1996.

A number of those arrested have complained about their treatment in custody.

Some gardaí felt a suspect’s wife who receives and shelters him after a crime is committed cannot be regarded as an accessory.

Both of the McConnells have made serious allegations about their treatment. In a statement to Chief Superintendent William Carey, who is investigating the complaint, Mr McConnell said of detective garda Michael O’Malley: “He was roaring and shouting and calling me a murdering bastard and that I would never see my wife and (child) again.” Det O’Malley denies the allegations.

He claims he was forced, in a violent manner, to look at postmortem photos of Mr Barron. He said he was punched in the side of the head by a detective garda.

McConnell added: “Inspector John McGinley (later superintendent) kept coming in. One time he came up close to my face and called me a murdering bastard. He spat in my face.”

Mrs Mc Connell claims Det Sgt John White threw her off a chair and pushed her against a filing cabinet.

Mrs McConnell alleges she also was shown photos of Mr Barron’s dead body; that the photographs were shoved in her face, that she was called Satan and the devil and that her husband was having an affair and that she was constantly called a lying murdering bitch.

The tribunal ended yesterday with details of alleged intimidation by Mr McConnell and an associate, Michael Peoples, of Sligo man Bernard Conlon.

This was because, it was claimed, Conlon was a witness against the McBrearty’s, publicans in Raphoe, in a licensing hearing.