Corruption claims ruined detective's life, tribunal told

A suspended Donegal garda detective claimed today his career had been ruined, his family life destroyed and that he had been shunned by the community over allegations he framed a publican.

Det Sergeant John White, cleared earlier this year of perverting the course of justice and making false statements, told the Morris Tribunal he had been the fall guy in a malicious garda investigation.

After detailing almost 130 instances where he claimed a key witness at the corruption inquiry had lied, Det Sgt White offered a robust defence of his reputation.

He said it was the last chance he had to publicly refute allegations made by Sligo man Bernard Conlon that he orchestrated a liquor licensing prosecution against Frank McBrearty Junior.

The suspended officer also claimed there had not been a full and thorough garda probe into these claims and allegations he thought up a ‘Silver Bullet’ death threat.

“I have been grievously hurt by the false and malicious allegations made against me by Bernard Conlon,” the father-of-four said.

“My family and myself have suffered to a geat extent as a result of these allegaions over the last five and a half years.

“My career has been ruined. I have been isolated by my comrades. I have been shunned by certain persons in the community as indeed have my wife and children.”

Det Sgt White hit out at an external garda inquiry headed by Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty into Mr Conlon’s allegations.

He branded it a malicious investigation which had left him embarrassed and humiliated.

“It is my belief that the failure to carry out such a proper and fair investigation is not as a result of mere laziness and negligence but because of a malicious agenda against me by certain members of An Garda Siochana,” Sgt White insisted.

“My life has been consumed by these allegations over the past five and a alf years and it is my fervent hope that this module of the Morris Tribunal upon its completion will finalise the matter and that I can resume as normal a life as possible with my family.”

Det Sgt White was arrested in March 2000 following an investigation by the Carty team into allegations that he set up the McBrearty’s.

At the beginning of this year he was acquitted of perverting the course of justice and making false statements.

The tribunal is currently attempting to uncover who was behind an alleged death threat with a silver bullet against Mr Conlon which two members of the extended McBrearty family, Mark McConnell and Michael Peoples, were arrested over.