Death threats man 'hoodwinked gardaí'

It was “highly unlikely” that a man who falsely alleged he had received death threats could have sustained the pretence for months on his own, a detective garda said today.

Retired Det Gda Michael Reynolds told the Morris Tribunal into garda corruption in Donegal that Bernard Conlon, who claimed he had been threatened by two men with a silver bullet, was “convincing” on a number of occasions.

Mr Conlon made the allegations in July 1998, later identifying the men as Mark McConnell and Michael Peoples.

The two were arrested in 1998 and 1999 but Mr Conlon has ince admitted the allegations were untrue and was convicted of making false statements in a court.

The two accused men were arrested eight months apart, but during interview, both claimed they had been set up by members of the gardai.

Mr Conlon has alleged he was put up to making the claims by Detective Sergeant John White, but the officer denies the allegations and was acquitted of perverting the cause of justice at Letterkenny Circuit Court.

Today, Mr Reynolds said on the numerous occasions he had spoken to Mr Conlon during meetings and informal identifications, he had found him “convincing”.

“I was utterly disappointed that I was hoodwinked by Mr Conlon,” he said.

Asked if he thought Mr Conlon was capable of carrying out the “hoodwinking” on his own, he said: “It was highly unlikely that he was able to do it on his own.”

Asked who he felt taken in by, Mr Reynolds said: “Well, Mr Conlon and by whoever put Mr Conlon up to this, I wasn’t aware of all the facts at that particular time.

“I didn’t know the greater picture, and I didn’t know the greater picture for a long time afterwards,” he added.

Mr Reynolds said that at the time of the first arrest, of Mark McConnell in October 1998, he did not doubt Mr Conlon’s story.

“It was still clear in my mind Mr Conlon’s reaction on the night we visited him and that he was so frightened, that this actually occurred,” he said.

When Mark McConnell was arrested in October 1998 for the alleged death threats, he was “very angry” at what he described as “pure lies”, Mr Reynolds said.

Asked by Anthony Barr, counsel for the tribunal, if he had any doubts about Mr Conlon’s story at that stage, Mr Reynolds said “absolutely not”.

But following the identification and questioning of Mr Peoples, who was arrested in May 1999 and “didn’t take kindly” to his detention, Mr Reynolds began to have some doubts, he said.

“He came across as being very co-operative to an extent, and quite easy to interview.

“After interviewing him there was maybe a doubt about it,” he said.

Asked by Mr Barr if he had considered the “much wider web” of allegations made against Mark McConnell, who was arrested for the murder of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron, he said he hadn’t.

Mr Barron was later found to have died as the result of a hit-and-run accident.

“During my time at no time did we talk to Mark McConnell in relation to the Richie Barron case, it was never mentioned during our time.”

He also said he was aware that Mr Conlon had previous criminal convictions but he didn’t know the details of them.

Neither did he know the extent of the number of prosecutions being brought against the extended McBrearty family, of which Mark McConnell and Michael Peoples are a part, he said.