Gardaí didn't interview 'alibi witnesses', tribunal told

Gardaí failed to interview around 100 "alibi witnesses" who could have cleared a man suspected of involvement in the murder of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron, the Morris Tribunal today heard.

Frank McBrearty Jnr, who has claimed Donegal gardaí attempted to frame him for the death, said many members of the family’s bar staff, who could have backed up his location on the night of Mr Barron’s death, were not asked for statements.

“I don’t think all members of staff were interviewed, a large representative sample as far as I know,” Supt John McGinley, who was part of the investigating team into Mr Barron’s death, said.

“I think maybe the following weekend, as I understood it, he (Frank McBrearty Snr) had a meeting with members of his staff and asked them to report to him in the first instance… and there was difficulty co-operating with the gardaí after that.”

Mr McBrearty Jnr said there was no reluctance from any of his staff and every single member of his family co-operated with the Carty inquiry into the investigation.

He said that “over 100” people who were “alibi witnesses” explaining his location on the night of Mr Barron’s death in October 1996 had not been asked for statements.

Mr McBrearty Jnr said this included several staff in the family’s pub including Shauna Toner, her father John a barman, a barmaid Lisa McQueen and a barman John McQueen.

Peter Charleton SC, for the tribunal, said that Mr McQueen had declined to make a statement in November 1996.

Pat Marrinan SC, for the Garda Commissioner, said: “A great many statements were taken by the Carty team and disclosed to the tribunal. All those statements weren’t deemed to be relevant to the investigation and were not included in the circulation material.”

Supt McGinley defended the investigation into Mr Barron’s death, led by Supt John Fitzgerald, who was “a very experienced decent honourable man”.

He added: “It wasn’t anything but genuine and straight up the middle.

“We might have made mistakes but we definitely didn’t go down the road to frame anyone or have any agendas.

“That was our only agenda from beginning to end to try and establish the truth of how Mr Barron met his death. We did that as we saw to the best of our ability at the time.”