CIRA trial: garda admits memo was inaccurate

A detective sergeant today accepted that sections of garda memos of an interview with an accused on trial for IRA membership was inaccurate.

Detective Garda Susan Delaney, Henry St Limerick was giving evidence in the Special Criminal Court in the trial of seven men suspected of membership of the dissident Continuity IRA.

The men were arrested when gardai raided a house in the Shanabooly Road area of Limerick in which a suspected meeting of the Continuity IRA was taking place in December 2001.

Today the court was shown video tapes of the garda interviews with one accused, Des Long, conducted by Detective Garda Delaney and another detective. Certain answers given by the accused on tape differed somewhat from the garda notes.

During one interview on December 19, 2001 at Henry St, gardai asked Mr Long if he knew "Pa Byrnes".

The court heard that the name Pa Byrnes appeared on a handwritten note in connection with a .22 and .38 shotgun. The note was seized when gardai raided the house at Shanabooly Road and arrested the seven men.

Mr Ross Maguire BL for Des Long put it to Detective Garda Delaney that the accused’s answer on video tape differed from the garda memo, which, he suggested was "incorrect".

"Yes My Lords, it is," the witness replied.

Detective Garda Delaney added: "I'm not a stenographer my Lord, I did not take the notes".

The detective garda said that when the interview ended, the notes were read over to the accused and he was asked if he agreed with them. He nodded in agreement she told the court.

Meanwhile, another accused, Joseph Lynch, who had his bail revoked before the trial, was granted today under certain conditions.

The Special Criminal Court ordered the accused to reside at home, go directly home after the day’s proceedings and be available to answer his home telephone to the gardai at all times.

The conditions of his bail prevent him from having visitors to his home and he was also ordered to be available to the gardai at all times.

Bail was set at an independent surity of €15,000, one third of which is to be lodged in court before the accused is bailed.

Earlier in the trial chief superintendent Gerard Kelly gave evidence earlier that in his opinion each of the seven accused was a member of an unlawful organisation on December 17, 2001.

The seven have pleaded not guilty to a charge that on December 17, 2001, within the State, they were members of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann.

They are Des Long (aged 62), Vice President of Republican Sinn Fein, of Shannon Banks, Limerick, Patrick Kenneally (aged 58), of Crusheen, Co Clare, Patrick O' Shea (aged 54) of Sir Harry's Mall, Limerick, Gerard ``Ger'' Brommell (aged 43), of Rostura Crescent, Woodview Park, Limerick, Robert Mc Namara (aged 59), of St Michael's Avenue, Tipperary, Joseph ''Tiny'' Lynch (aged 61), of Beechgrove Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick and Christopher Dunne (aged 28), of Donnellan Buildings, Rosbrien, Limerick.