Tribunal told of plot against garda inspector

A garda superintendent was involved in an elaborate plot to use statements to bring trouble on a fellow officer, it was claimed at the Morris Tribunal today.

Ex-garda John O’Dowd said Superintendent Kevin Lennon, who was dismissed from the force last year, had been ‘after’ Inspector John McGinley.

He said he had presented a statement to the Carty inquiry, set up to investigate allegations of corruption in the Donegal Garda Division, which had been drafted by another garda with Superintendent Lennon’s knowledge.

Its purpose was to mention Garda Tina Fowley and thereby lead the Carty team to her claims of having seen Insp McGinley practising the signature of a prisoner.

“He (Lennon) knew about the statement, and he said: ‘Wait till they come to Tina. She’ll get the story out,’” said Mr O’Dowd.

However, Mr Lennon, cross-examining, said Mr O’Dowd was making it up.

“You couldn’t believe I had any involvement in the manufacture of statements.”

Mr O’Dowd replied: “I believed you did.”

Mr Lennon then said he had been friendly with Insp McGinley at the time and had no ‘axe to grind’ with him.

However, Mr O’Dowd said that after Insp McGinley and other gardaí had quizzed a Garda informer about his knowledge of Supt Lennon, there had been a major argument between the two.

“All you were at the time, you were after McGinley. The whole place (the station) was split up at this stage,” he said.

Judge Frederick Morris said mentioning Fowley’s name to get the Carty team to interview her was an ‘extraordinarily complicated way’ of achieving the objective of creating trouble for Insp McGinley.

“Supposing Supt Lennon wanted to bring trouble down on McGinley. All he had to do was go to her and ask her to do it,” he said.

He asked Mr O’Dowd how he knew Ms Fowley, who is currently suspended from the force, was going to ‘play ball’ with the plan.

“She’d have been on Kevin Lennon’s side. They were friends, so she’d be more likely to help him out than anyone else,” said Mr O’Dowd

Judge Morris replied: “If that’s the best you can do, it doesn’t seem to be a very likely scenario.”