Inspector told about 'death threat' alibi, tribunal told

The claim gardaí weren’t aware a member of the extended McBrearty family had an alibi for the night he was alleged to have threatened a witness with a silver bullet is laughable, a former detective sergeant said today.

Detective Sergeant John White insisted he had told his Sligo colleague Inspector Gerard Connolly about the the alibi when it emerged in court in Letterkenny in relation to another case.

Bernard Conlon, a witness in a licensing prosecution against the McBreartys, made the false allegation he was threatened by two men, whom he later identified as Mark McConnell and Michael Peoples, to withdraw his evidence in the case.

Mr Conlon has since alleged he was used by Det Sgt White to set up the two men, a claim denied by the former garda officer.

Inspector Connolly, who was in charge of investigating the allegation, has told the Morris Tribunal into garda corruption in Donegal that Det Sgt White had not told him about the alibi Mark McConnell had.

His counsel Mark de Blacam said if Insp Connolly had known about the alibi he would have investigated it and included it in a report on the case he wrote.

But Det Sgt White said: “The reason he is telling you I didn’t tell him is to take the blame off him for arresting Michael Peoples.”

Det Sgt White said the whole county of Donegal knew about the alibi for Mark McConnell, who was high-profile at the time, and that it had even been reported in the Donegal Democrat.

“To say detectives in Letterkenny weren’t aware of this alibi is laughable. It’s not improbable, it’s laughable.

“For Inspector Connolly to say I would keep it quiet, tell nobody, that gardaí in court would tell nobody… that nobody in the county of Donegal would tell anybody in Sligo, that there would be a barrier, a big wall erected and no knowledge would get through, then Michael Peoples would be arrested and I would get away with all this.

“It would definitely be a dereliction of duty if I didn’t tell him.

“I’m not an idiot and if Inspector Connolly thinks I am an idiot he can think again.

“I did tell him, Mr de Blacam, and he knows I told him and now he is trying to avoid the fact he arrested a man in the wrong and he’s still at it, blaming me,” Det Sgt White said.