White repeats denials and says findings are ‘perverse’

THE garda taking the brunt of the latest Morris Tribunal criticisms has dismissed the findings as “perverse”.

Detective Sergeant John White repeated his denials that he planted a gun at a Traveller halting site or was involved in placing a bomb on a telecommunications mast in order to stage arrests of innocent people.

He said he had “no regard whatsoever” for the Morris Tribunal and would probably be taking legal action as a result of the publication of its findings.

“I fear I am a target and have been a target for over five years because of certain views that I hold,” he said.

Det Sgt White, who has been suspended from duty since March 2000, said he was “totally astounded” by the finding that he orchestrated the arrest of seven people by planting a gun at Burnfoot, Co Donegal, given that he had been acquitted of the charge in court last June.

“Judge Morris’s findings are perverse. I don’t know how he could possibly come to that conclusion. There was absolutely no corroboration whatsoever,” he told RTÉ.

He said the findings about the telecommunications mast at Adara were “incredible”.

“There was no evidence of any person of any kind linking me with that device on the mast,” he said

He said he was never even questioned about the device when he was arrested and interviewed in 2000 by the Carty team, the officers who carried out the internal Garda investigation prior to the setting up of the tribunal.

He added that after his arrest, he was transferred from Donegal to the Special Detective Unit in Harcourt Square in Dublin where he was to have authority over five other detectives.

Although he had refused the transfer as he felt it implied wrongdoing on his part, he said he regarded the posting as proof that he was not guilty of misconduct.

Det Sgt White has 32 years’ service with the gardaí and has applied for retirement.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) said questions had to be raised about the Morris Tribunal’s findings given that he had been acquitted of criminal charges.

GRA general secretary PJ Stone said: “No citizen in the country would have their rights trampled on in this fashion when they have been cleared of all criminal wrongdoing in the courts of law and we don’t see why a member of An Garda Síochána should be treated any differently.

“I believe it is a cause of concern that any citizen, whether a member of the Garda Síochána or not, can be effectively convicted of a criminal act on the balance of probability.”