Witness: Post office manager admitted urine tampering

A witness told a court yesterday that the manager of a post office who is on trial for perverting the course of justice had confessed to him that he had tampered with a urine sample in a drink-driving case.

Joe Miley, of Knockcroghery, Co Roscommon, gave details of conversations he had with Kevin Rogers on March 28 last year.

He was giving evidence at Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court where post office manager Mr Rogers, aged 50, of Mote Park, Roscommon, has pleaded not guilty to doing an act intended to pervert the course of natural justice by interfering or tampering with potential evidence on Mar 5, 2012.

The court heard the urine sample was taken from Michael Lyons, another post office worker and friend of Mr Rogers, arising from a road traffic accident on March 3 last year.

Mark Miley, a postman and son of Joe, gave evidence on the first day of the trial. He said Mr Rogers had pushed a box inside his jacket at Roscommon Post Office on March 5 with instructions to say nothing to anybody and to “deny all”.

The box was hot and had a bad smell from it, Mark Miley had told the trial.

The Medical Bureau of Road Safety officials in Dublin said the box containing the sample had been interfered with and there was no urine in it. It appeared to have been subjected to heat and pressure and analysis was not possible.

Yesterday, Joe Miley said two men called to his home on March 28 looking for his son Mark. He did not know the men were detectives.

He contacted Mr Rogers, who was his son’s boss, as he was concerned that his son had gone off in a car with the men.

Mr Rogers, who was also a family friend, said he was afraid his son was a victim of a Tiger kidnapping.

Mr Miley said he was so concerned he drove to the post office. He said Mr Rogers looked gaunt as he approached his car. He did not know what was going on and, after Mr Miley persisted, the post office manager looked around the car and asked if it was bugged.

“He said: ‘It’s Smack’s urine sample’ — Smack was Michael Lyons.”

Mr Miley said he asked if Mark had tampered with it: “He said: ‘No, no, no. I did it. Mark did nothing.’”

He denied a suggestion by defence counsel, Martin Giblin that this conversation never took place.

The trial continues next week.